You're Everything to Me
by Spiritstrike
Summary: COMPLETE: Armada: When a girl's life is at the mercy of the Decepticons, Optimus must risk the life of a Mini-Con. With her memories lost, the girl finds a family she never had, including love for a certain Autobot.
1. Save a Life, Or Save a Minicon?

**Spiritimus Prime: I know I should be working on the next chapter of _Gift of Life_ but I was determind to get this story underway. It might not be as good as _Gift of Life_ but at least it's a little more carefully planned out. Optimus, would you do the honors?**

**Optimus Prime: Why must I?**

**Spiritimus Prime: I think you know the answer to that one already.**

**Optimus Prime: (sighs) Alright, fine. Spiritimus Prime does not owe the Transformers, they are the sole property of Hasbro and Takara. However, she owes Juliet, and the plot.**

**Spiritimus Prime: Thank you. Now, on with the story and enjoy!**

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Save a Life, Or Save a Minicon?

"Autobots, spread out!" Optimus ordered.

"Yes, sir!" the Autobots cried in affirmative as they got to work in search of the Minicon.

It was a sunny day in Australia, like always, and Optimus Prime had the feeling that it would be mid-night in America where the kids rested. As far as he could tell, there were no humans out and about due to the sun's heated rays.

But, but of course, the Decepticons were probably not far away, and the Autobots couldn't afford to not waste a single delay.

As Hot Shot searched amongst the rocks, he had the feeling that something wasn't right. He looked up and spotted Jetfire, the Second in Command of the Autobots, and shouted, "Hey, Jetfire, you see anything?"

"Nah, not a thing with where I am," Jetfire answered from the comlink.

Try as Hot Shot might, he just couldn't shake the feeling that something was really wrong.

* * *

Far away from the rocky outcrops that overlooked the wild bush, animals, of different kinds, scattered about in fear as a massive metallic foot smashed down upon a gumtree, causing it to collapse.

Megatron, the evil leader of the Decepticons, looked left and right, his large horns disturbed lorikeets from their nests, sending them into the sky as they panicked. The Decepticon Tyrant snorted in disgust as Demolisher followed in suit, along with the rest of the Decepticons.

Megatron's optics settled onto a quiet road that passed the bush by. It would be a perfect trap for the Autobots if they dared to come this way, but unfortunately, it wasn't going to be that easy. Turning his head to Demolisher, the Decepticon Leader spoke in a dangerous tone that demanded respect, "Demolisher! Search out the perimeter of this area, I expect you to find that Minicon. The rest of you will cover his flank for once."

The other Decepticons snorted but reluctantly agreed to their leader's term without complaint.

"Yes, sir," Demolisher answered as he set off through the bush while the rest of the Decepticons stayed behind to be on the look out. But Megatron had his blood, red optics set on the road as a blue Toyota station wagon began to approach.

Smirking, he turned his cannon onto the vehicle and followed its every move, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

_

* * *

_

Bang!

The loud explosion echoed across the entire bush as birds and animals scattered from the trees and raced for cover. Their cries of panic did not go unnoticed by the Autobot Commander and he had the feeling that the Decepticons were responsible for of this. He turned to Hot Shot, who had also heard the explosion, a look of worry planted on his face.

"Hot Shot, keep searching for the Minicon! I'll go and check it out," Optimus ordered.

Hot Shot nodded as he wished his commander good luck. "Roger that, sir, and be careful."

"I will."

The Autobot Commander then turned and headed towards the explosion, not noticing the Decepticon, Demolisher, walking past him, camouflaged amongst the greenery.

The blue Toyota lay in a broken and battered heap. Smoke was escaping the bottom of the car and a hole was punctured through the front, but it looked like the severe damage had blown off most of the engine, nearly leaving the back exposed with just the front seats protecting it. Barely.

Optimus had never seen such a horrific event like this before, and it truly disgusted him to the core of his Spark at whoever did his, but he could guess whom. In his frustration, he slammed a fist into a nearby rock and gave a scream of anguish. How could Megatron be so cold, cruel, and merciless? He had no idea why, but it burned him so deeply.

"Don't move, Prime."

Optimus' breath caught into his throat when he recognised the voice at once. Looking up, he gasped in horror when he saw Megatron standing just a human foot from the broken car with his gun pointing right at the left side.

"You wouldn't want this mere human to die, do you?" Megatron asked.

Optimus took a closer look at the car and he realised what Megatron had meant.

Inside the car's back was a young human girl. Blood was pouring from the back of her head, her right arm was twisted in an odd way, and her legs were covered, from knee high to the back of her heels, by a huge piece of metal that dug into her skin harshly. Optimus could even see that the metal had penetrated the skin really deeply.

Megatron inched his cannon closer towards the car. "Give me the Minicon, Prime, or this pathetic human gets it," he growled.

Optimus trembled a little. What should he do? He was about to give his answer when Demolisher came running up to Megatron, he was cracked in the left optic and his right arm was missing.

"Megatron, sir, I tried to get the Minicon from Blurr, but..."

"Silence, Demolisher!" Megatron bellowed.

Demolisher was silent.

Megatron turned to Optimus, his blood red optics showing his greed, "Call your pathetic minion, Prime," he snarled as the cannon inched even closer until it touched the car's frame. Optimus was at a total loss for words. Putting his hand to the left side of his helmet, he turned his comlink on. "Blurr, bring the Minicon to my coordinates. Please, don't ask questions. And bring the other Autobots with you as well." He switched his comlink off before Blurr could reply.

Blurr and the other Autobots arrived at the area, their optics widened in utter horror at the sight that sat before them. Hot Shot's hands clenched into fists as he growled in disgust and hatred at Megatron as he turned to face the evil Decepticon and said, in a cold tone, "You're absolutely disgusting!"

Megatron just laughed. "Your words mean nothing to me, youngling. Just tell that pathetic Autobot to hand that Minicon to me."

Hot Shot was about to throw a retort when Optimus' hand lifted up and forced him into silence. "Hot Shot, a human is still in there and it is my duty to ensure that she lives," Optimus said, his voice calm, but filled with worry as well.

Hot Shot gave a look of horror. "Sir, you can't give up the Minicon!" he cried.

Optimus ignored him as he turned to Blurr, who was also staring with shock and horror.

"Sir, don't do it!" Jetfire cried.

Optimus ignored his Second in command as he stood up and approached the Sniper Autobot.

Megatron watched with slight amusement.

Optimus forced Blurr to open his hand and took the Minicon from him before he could protest against his commander's decision. Optimus approached Megatron, and the Tyrant prepared to take it from him but was stopped by a forceful hand. "First, the girl," Optimus growled.

Megatron smirked as he, aggressively, reached into the car and pulled out the girl.

Optimus slowly reached out for her, but held the girl out of Prime's reach and gave him a swift punch to the chin, sending him flying into an old gumtree that groaned beneath his massive weight.

Megatron took a step back and laughed.

The Autobots got into a fighting stance as the Decepticon Leader caught the Minicon panel that had flown out of Optimus' hand. He turned and faced the Autobots, glory and power-hunger gleamed in his blood red optics as he snarled, "You're as pathetic as your men, Prime!"

He was about to warp out with the rest of his men when a blast knocked the girl out of his hand and sent her flying.

Megatron gave a look of shock as he disappeared.

The Autobots scattered around to try and catch the girl, but Jetfire, who was in the sky, caught her before anyone else did.

The Autobots breathed a sigh of relief.

As Jetfire landed, his comrades gathered around him and Optimus approached him and said, "Well done, Jetfire. I'm very pleased."

Jetfire handed the girl to him and the other Autobots gathered around him just to get a closer look. Red Alert moved forward and took the girl out of Prime's hand. "We have to get her back, ASAP!" he yelled. Optimus nodded as the CMO handed the girl to him as he shifted to his vehicle form and opened his back. Optimus put the girl inside and wrapped her up in a thick blanket to keep her warm before Red Alert closed up the back. The other Autobots shifted to their vehicle forms as well, but Hot Shot gave a despised stare before he transformed to his vehicle form.

The Autobot Commander caught it.

Shifting to his truck form, Optimus gave a heavy sigh of grief. He'd hoped to get the girl from Megatron's grip, and, keep the Minicon out of his reach. But a choice is a choice. He'd made it, whether he liked it or not. As far as he was concerned, he had to deal with another human. Only this one would have to live with them. Permanently. He had the feeling that Megatron had killed the girl's parents while they were driving the vehicle and he felt a wave of negative emotions, and thoughts, pulsing through his Spark.

As the Autobots vanished into the Space Bridge, tension began to build up in the air and Optimus believed it had something to do with his mistake. But he couldn't worry about that now. There was a life at stake!

* * *

Upon arriving back at the Autobot base, Red Alert opened his back, and Hot Shot carefully took the girl out as the CMO transformed back to his robot mode and he carefully took the girl in his hands before rushing off to the Med-Bay as fast as he could.

Optimus wanted to go and check on them at once, but he was forced to stay put and sort out everyone's concern and annoyance. The children would be arriving soon, and he had to make sure that everything was okay.

Hot Shot's arms had become tense, but he didn't lose his temper. Jetfire decided to take matters into his own hands. Someone's should tell everyone's feelings about what had happened. "What were you thinking?"

Optimus bowed his head, but he kept his golden optics on his SIC. "I thought I could get him to give me the girl first."

"Well, you should've known better than to trust that creep's words. I thought you knew that?"

"Jetfire, no one's perfect you know. Everyone makes mistakes. But as you know, it is my job to ensure the safety of every sentient being on this planet. Humans are just as important as the Minicons, and this planet also has its rights. Remember that."

Jetfire snorted. "But what about the Minicons? Their freedom is also important and you just let one fall into Decepticon slavery, bringing the Decepticons even closer towards their goal of galactic conquest."

"And for that foolish mistake, I apologise to you and my fellow Autobots."

"That still doesn't make it any better," Hot Shot said bitterly.

"Like I said, Hot Shot, no one's perfect. Now, you may all return to your duties. The kids will be here soon and I want everyone to not snap at them. They are not to blamed on for our failure, no, my failure. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir," was the reply he received.

Optimus gave a nod before he turned and headed for the Med-Bay.

* * *

**Spiritimus Prime: I hope you enjoyed the story! And, in case you're wondering, the title of the story came from one of my favourite songs that just instantely caught my ears. The song's name is _Apology (Acoustic Version) _by _Alesana_. Not one of my favourite bands, but it's okay. I prefer sad and beautiful songs like Evanescence and Within Temptation. Now, I'm off to go work on my next chapter of _Gift of Life_, so stay tunned!**


	2. We Do Not Blame Things on Friends

**Spiritimus Prime: Yeah, thought I'd get around to posting this up quickly before moving onto _Gift of Life_, though I'm quite surprised that this got quite an amount of reviews in just a short amount of time. Anyway, hope you like it and enjoy every bit of it! :D**

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**Chapter 2:**

**We Do Not Blame Things on Friends**

Red Alert, while Optimus explained his solemn mistake, laid the girl on the table and quickly tended to her injuries. Not much blood had been lost with the head damage, but he had the feeling that he should treat it first. Getting out a few bandages, he supported the girl's head carefully, with the help of Longarm, and delicately wrapped it up.

He realised that the girl was beginning to wake up, and she needed to be kept as calm as possible. Laying her flat on her back, he took out a thick blanket and wrapped her up tightly. He would have to tend to the girl's dislocated arm as soon as possible, otherwise she would be very uncomfortable and in a lot of pain.

Red Alert told Longarm what to do as he gave the Minicon an aesthetic.

Being very gentle, Longarm injected the needle and the girl stopped moving, but she still breathed. Red Alert gave Longarm the instructions on how to relocate the arm. Again, Longarm proceed very gently, but he still applied as much force as he could until the arm snapped back into the socket and he wrapped it up in a bandage.

Pleased, Red Alert requested his Minicon friend to use some tweezers to remove the shards of metal that had gotten wedged into the skin. Longarm obeyed and removed them all. Red Alert knew he didn't have much time and that the aesthetic could wear off in two hours. So, the CMO proceed with an operation that might make Optimus a little displeased, but it was for the best at the moment.

Optimus entered the room when he saw Red Alert was just busy finishing off the last stitch of the operation and he asked, "How does she fare?"

Red Alert turned him, his red visor not quite showing his face. "She fares well. I just finished adding some Cybertronian plating to her right leg. It was severely crushed by the metal slab that was in the car, so she should be able to walk in about two days."

Optimus nodded as he sensed the girl's body heat rising and he guessed she was waking up. The girl gave a small groan as she stirred. "Where am I?" she asked in confusion.

Red Alert looked at Optimus, who nodded at him, granting him permission to speak.

The CMO proceed.

Being as calm as he could, Red Alert said, "Take it easy, you just came around from an operation."

The girl gave a look of confusion before she opened her eyes. At the sight of both Red Alert and Optimus, she didn't flinch or scream. "Who are you?" she asked.

"My name is Red Alert. I am an Autobot. And that one behind me is Optimus Prime, my commander."

"Do you remember anything?" Optimus asked.

"Remember what?"

"Do you have any parents, or whatsoever?"

The girl's confusion grew. "What are parents?"

Red Alert sighed as he leaned towards Optimus and whispered, "I thought something like this might happen. She's lost her memories from the injury to her head."

"Will she recover?" Optimus asked.

"I doubt it, only time can tell."

Optimus nodded and he turned to the girl. "Do you have a name?"

"Yeah," the girl answered. "It's Juliet."

Optimus nodded again and said, "Welcome aboard the Autobots, Juliet."

Juliet nodded her thanks as she looked down at her leg and looked at Red Alert. "Thanks for fixing up my leg," she thanked.

"You're welcome," Red Alert answered with a smile and he laid the girl on her back. "Now, I advise you to get some rest. You've had quite a day."

Juliet smiled. "Okay."

Optimus took this moment to leave, he turned and left while Red Alert told Juliet that he'll explain everything to her later when she'd recovered and would even get the chance to meet the rest of the team.

* * *

As Optimus walked out the Med-Bay, he sensed someone was by his feet and he looked down, only to see Rad, Carlos, and Alexis. "I take it that you heard from Hot Shot?" he asked.

Rad nodded. "Yeah, is she okay?"

"Right now she's resting and Red Alert has just finished tending to her injuries."

"What happened?" Alexis asked.

"That, I'll leave for Red Alert to explain. I have my own matters to attend to." Optimus stepped over the children and headed for his office.

Rad looked at his two friends in confusion, but they shrugged, not knowing the answer to Optimus' strange mood.

They were about to head into the Med-Bay when Red Alert walked out. Rad ran up to the CMO. "Red Alert," he said, "what's wrong? What happened during the battle?"

Red Alert explained to the children about what had happened, Optimus' mistake, and Juliet's accident. Tension began to build up once again but the kids remained calm.

"Optimus blames himself for everything that had happened and for his mistake," Red Alert finished.

"You think the dude will be okay?" Carlos asked.

"Give enough time, the tension will die down or if we recover another Minicon. But we'll leave Optimus be, he needs time to himself."

Rad nodded as he looked towards the Med-Bay's door. "We hope she recovers soon, it's not easy to live without parents you can't remember," he said softly.

Alexis nodded in agreement. "Believe me, I know what it's like to lose your parents," she said, sadness leaking into her brown eyes.

Red Alert gave a small sigh, losing one's creators without remembering was going to be the hardest thing Juliet would ever know. Gently, the CMO motioned to the kids towards the Med-Bay. "Why don't you go and introduce yourself to our new member. I'm sure she'd love to meet you."

Rad gave a smile and said, "Sure thing, big guy," as he and his two friends walked inside while Red Alert left to go find his commander.

* * *

Rad, Alexis, and Carlos climbed up the bed until they were levelled with the girl. Carlos' brown eyes beamed in delight. He'd never seen such a beautiful girl, other than the hologram, before. Rad elbowed him harshly and said, "Carlos! Don't be rude."

Juliet giggled. "It's okay, I'm pretty sure he's done it before."

"So, what's your name?" Alexis asked.

"It's Juliet."

"You mean like Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare?" Rad asked.

Juliet lifted an eyebrow. "What's that?"

Alexis gave the blonde haired boy a glare and hissed, "Rad, don't you remember what Red Alert told us? She's lost her memories!"

Rad blushed with embarrassment and said, "Sorry about that, Juliet."

Juliet just smiled. "It's okay. By the way, I didn't get your names."

"Right, I'm Rad."

"I'm Alexis."

"And I'm Carlos."

"It's nice to meet you guys. I take it that you're friends of the Autobots?" Juliet asked.

"Yeah, we met them totally by accident," said Alexis, who laughed at Juliet's cheerfulness.

"We should leave her to get some rest, otherwise she won't recover quickly," Rad said with concern in his tone.

"Yeah, we don't want to get on Red Alert's nerves, he might have a fit," Carlos agreed.

"So we'll see you later, Juliet?" Alexis asked.

"Sure," Juliet answered with a nod of agreement.

The kids gave smiles before they climbed back down on to the floor and left the room, leaving Juliet alone to rest for the night.

* * *

"Are you just going to stay in here all day and shoot while complaining, Hot Shot?" Jetfire snapped as the young yellow mech blasted down a few more bullseyes, ignoring the shuttle mech as he continued to proceed with taking out his frustration.

Jetfire sighed and leaned on the wall. "Look, blaming Optimus for his mistake is not going to help any of us get another Minicon. We will get it back somehow, but we're just going to have to be patient."

Hot Shot growled and lowered his blaster, his sky blue optics piercing into Jetfire's golden ones. "You try telling that to someone who'll listen!" he snapped.

"You're just as stubborn as Optimus! He did what he had to do! A Minicon's life maybe important, but so is another's life. How would you feel if you were caught in the same situation that Optimus was and Carlos was the one in the car accident with Megatron's cannon pointed right at him?"

"I…"

"That's exactly my point, Hot Shot! I maybe annoyed with Optimus' choice, but I still agree that it was necessary to save a life. He made the choice, whether we like it or not, we will respect that because he is our leader."

Hot Shot sighed. Now that he thought about more, he was beginning to realise that Optimus' choice had been for the best anyway. "Maybe I was a little too hard on him," he said softly.

"And?" Jetfire asked, lifting an optic ridge.

"So… I'll go and apologise to him for being so… frustrated. I had no right to say such a thing."

Jetfire nodded, satisfied with the young mech. "Just remember this, Hot Shot, Optimus isn't perfect. He made the same kind of mistakes back before you came online. And give him till tomorrow, he'll be okay. Why don't we go visit the girl? I'm pretty sure she'd love to meet us."

Hot Shot sighed. "Nah, don't feel like it. I'll give her time to rest. Red Alert said that she's still recovering from the operation," he answered.

"Looks like you're getting more mature as time goes by. That was a wise choice," Jetfire laughed.

"Huh?"

But Jetfire was gone before Hot Shot could even ask what he meant. Although he had the feeling it had something to do with what he'd said about visiting the girl, he reckoned that Jetfire was testing him for some apparent reason. Shaking his head, the yellow mech returned to shooting at the bullseyes, but he was less forceful than before.

* * *

In his office, Optimus sat quietly at his desk, pretending to read a datapad. He obviously wasn't in the mood to reading anything, and his thoughts kept on wondering to that dreadful moment when Megatron had pointed his cannon at the car where Juliet laid in an unconscious heap. His shoulders shook as he remembered the full detail of when he took the Minicon from Blurr's hand and put its life at risk when he tried to get the girl from Megatron.

He remembered everything going in slow motion when Megatron snatched the Minicon out of his hand and got the girl out his reach before planting a foot into his mid-section and forcing him backwards; crashing into a pile of rocks while Jetfire had caught Juliet after Hot Shot had tackled Megatron, forcing him into recoil and sending Juliet flying.

Optimus even remembered the frustrated looks that his men had given him after Megatron had caught the Minicon and had warped out with the rest of his Decepticons. Despite losing the Minicon, Optimus was glad that Juliet had been saved whether his men liked it or not.

A knock brought him back into reality. He sighed and answered simply, "Enter."

He was quite surprised that it was Red Alert, who'd entered, and not Scavenger or Hot Shot. He sighed again and looked up at the CMO. "Something I can do for you?" he asked.

"Just wanted to speak to you about… the incident," Red Alert answered.

"If it's about a mistake that everyone wishes to blame, then do not bother," Optimus said quietly.

"That's not the way I had it planned, sir," Red Alert said with a smile.

Optimus lifted an optic ridge and requested him silently to sit down. Red Alert was one step ahead of him, for he sat down without a hesitation before he spoke in his calm collected tone. "I don't blame you, Optimus. A choice is a choice, and I don't expect you to be perfect."

"Some do, Red, I believe I let some of my men down who expect so much from me," Optimus chuckled monotonously.

Red Alert shook his head. "You made mistakes back in the past and you still do. I know they expect a strong leader from you, and there's no shame in making more mistakes."

"Come to think of it, Red, I put the blame on Megatron for being in the area in the first place. It's not the first time that he's harmed life. There are just times when I wish that the Minicons had crash-landed somewhere else so that the humans did not need to get involved. And now, we have another human to worry about, one that had lost her memories in the accident."

"Will you stop blaming yourself, already? What's done is done, we cannot go back in time and make the ship crash-land on Earth, nor can we undo what had just occurred with Juliet. Just let it go."

Optimus sighed, knowing that he couldn't argue with Red Alert any further. Once the CMO made up his mind, there was no point on continuing the discussion. "You're right, Red Alert, I apologise for being so negative, and it's out of my character to act like it. My men need a strong leader, and I shall continue to be as supportive as I possibly can. But, if it's alright with you, I do not wish to speak of this... again. It kind of scared me."

Red Alert laughed out loud. "With pleasure, sir, I'd been memorising that speech for quite awhile, so I swear it won't happen again, unless you turn Mr. Negative again," he said and winked behind his visor.

Optimus shook his head before him and Red Alert both stood up, their optics looking into each other's before Red Alert saluted his commander. "Welcome back, sir," he said before Optimus saluted back and the CMO left the room.

* * *

**Spiritimus Prime: Ooooo! Oppy got a lecture from Reddy! Anyway, hope you like it and remember to R&R!**


	3. Recovered and Already Causing Trouble

**Spiritimus Prime: I am so sorry for not uploading anything yesterday, but I wasn't feeling very well and had to have the time off from school. This is a pretty funny chapter, and I thought I might add a bit of humor into it. Yes, Jetfire does something to give you the giggles. :P Enjoy!**

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Chapter 3:

**Recovered and Already Causing Trouble**

Juliet's recovery was far quicker than Red Alert had predicated. It only took three weeks for her dislocated arm to heal instead of four, which kind of proved that Red Alert can be wrong sometimes. Despite that, the young teenager found herself walking down the corridors beside Optimus Prime. She'd been kept in the Med-Bay for so long that she never got the chance to explore the base because of still trying to regain the strength in her legs even though Red Alert said that she would be able to walk in just two days, but he hadn't mentioned on her needing time to recuperate.

As Juliet walked beside Optimus Prime, the Autobot Commander noticed that the girl was hardly curious about her surroundings. He guessed that she might've gotten used to the Med-Bay, and because of that, she'd been a little reluctant to leaving it because of how it provided protection for her, but after some kind words from him about wanting to introduce her to his warriors, she'd finally agreed.

* * *

When they arrived in the Control Room, Juliet just couldn't help but gasp in surprise at the amazing technology that surrounded her. But hearing her gasp made everyone turn to look at her. Shyly, she hid behind Optimus' foot, she'd been so used to getting only visits from the Autobot Commander and Red Alert that she'd forgotten that Optimus had told her about others being here as well.

The first one to greet her was a silver and grey mech with odd looking wings producing from his sides. He greeted her in a cheerful manner and waved. "Hey! Our guest is here!"

Juliet looked down at the ground and shifted her weight a bit, blushing as well, but the silver mech noticed and laughed. A yellow and red mech elbowed him in the side, making the silver mech pout from behind his gold mask, which she could hardly see.

"Show some respect, would you Jetfire?" the yellow mech growled.

The silver mech, who'd been addressed as Jetfire, laughed again. "Give the kid a break, Hot Shot, she needs a little laugh, does she not?" he asked.

The yellow mech, Hot Shot, rolled his optics. "Ignore Jetfire, he's never serious when it comes to fighting."

"I am serious when it comes to fighting!"

"Oh yeah, when was the last time you did anything serious?"

"Um..."

"I thought so!"

"Come on, settle down men and give our guest a proper welcome," Optimus Prime's voice called, making the two mechs quiet.

The first one to step forward was a blue, black, and gold bot with baby blue optics. "Hey there, I'm Sideswipe!" he said cheerfully and rushed forward to give Juliet a hug, but Hot Shot stopped him just in time.

Everyone just had to laugh as an orange and blue mech stepped forward as well. "I'm Smokescreen, if you ever need a servo, I'll be happy to lend you one," he said with a wink.

Jetfire winked. "You heard us speak our names, so no need for us to say a word," he said cheerfully, making Juliet giggle, and also receiving a groan from Hot Shot.

"I'm Scavenger, previous trainer of Optimus Prime," a grey and green mech said. It was obviously hard to tell what he was thinking because of his stoic look and the way how he kept his arms folded up.

"And this anti-social guy is Blurr, he doesn't talk much, but he's a great companion," Hot Shot said, pointing to a blue and orange mech with red optics.

"It's… nice to meet you guys. I'm Juliet," the young teenager said.

"Nice to meet you, Juliet," everyone greeted.

Optimus Prime nodded, satisfied with the way things had turned out. He turned to Jetfire, their golden optics locked onto each other as though they were having a mental conversation until Jetfire nodded. "Yes, sir, I'll take care of her," he said out loud, obviously catching everyone off guard.

Juliet looked up at everyone in confusion. "Did I miss something?"

"I ordered Jetfire to care for you until you're fully recovered. Your legs still need a little more time to getting used to walking again," Optimus Prime answered in a kind tone.

"What about me? Why didn't you choose me?" Hot Shot asked.

"Because you have Sideswipe to look after."

"Yes, sir," Hot Shot said quietly.

Jetfire looked down at Juliet, who looked up at him with a smile on her lips. "Care for me to show you around?" Jetfire asked.

"Yes please," Juliet said as Jetfire offered her a hand. The young girl accepted the invitation and climbed onto the SIC's hand. The shuttle mech then turned and walked out the door, leaving everyone to getting to their work and pond on the situation they were in at the moment. So far, no Minicon had activated since Juliet's accident, and they still hadn't forgotten the decision that Optimus Prime had made. Everyone was still a little on edge.

* * *

Jetfire had placed Juliet on his shoulder and was walking down the corridors of the Autobot Base. He came to a halt and stepped into a large room. "And here we have the Training Room where we improve our skills as well as muscle ourselves up, as you humans say."

"Wow, this is amazing," Juliet breathed.

"You bet it is. Even when we're stressed, we come down here to blow up a few things. Works pretty well."

Juliet laughed, but then sighed. Jetfire lifted an optic ridge. "Hey, what's with the glum look?" he asked.

"It's just that… Optimus Prime said I was in an accident, but I don't remember anything at all. The only thing I can remember is… a very loud bang," Juliet answered and pulled her legs close to her body, rocking back and forth on Jetfire's shoulder.

The Second in Command sighed and tilted his head to the side. "Hey, how about we do a little something?" he asked.

"Like what?" Juliet asked.

Jetfire smirked evilly. "We'll play a little game on Red Alert."

"You mean a prank?"

"Yeah, so about it, partner?"

Juliet thought about it for a moment until a smile crept onto her lips. "Okay! What shall we do?" she asked.

Jetfire whispered into her ear his idea and she smiled evilly. "Let's do it," she giggled.

* * *

Red Alert sighed as he put some tools away in a draw. Of all the nerves, Smokescreen just had to borrow his wrench for only a moment, and he'd already lost it. And believe it or not, it was Red Alert's favourite one that he used to throw at one of his comrades if they refused to follow his orders of getting well or just wanted to muck around with him. Obviously he was in a very bad mood now, but he was kind of glad that it was gone, because it gave him something to do.

As the CMO was bending down to pick up a screwdriver, a knock at the door was heard and a sigh escaped his lips. The knock was small enough to be a human's, and he guessed that one of the kids wanted to see him. Probably Alexis wanting to give him some company, or maybe Juliet just wishing to come back inside because of how safe she'd felt while staying in the Med-Bay.

Red Alert approached the door and unlocked it. It hissed open and he looked down, but he saw no one. Confused, he stepped out the Med-Bay and looked around. But he'd failed to notice the tripwire in front of his feet, and the moment he'd touched it, a bucket a pink paint fell onto his head, covering him from head to shoulders in the rosy pink paint.

From a far off distance around the corner, out of the CMO's sight, Jetfire and Juliet poked their heads around the corner, their lips (one not showing) containing their smiles. Jetfire lifted a hand in front of Juliet, who high-fived him in return.

"Jetfire and Juliet 1. Red Alert 0!"

In just a matter of seconds, everyone, including the children, had gathered around at the scene and sniggers could be heard from Hot Shot, Smokescreen, and Sideswipe until they started rolling around on the floor laughing their heads off while the elder bots, Optimus Prime and Scavenger, were just smiling but not laughing out loud. Blurr was just watching, mentally enjoying it, but not saying out in public.

Jetfire and Juliet had to be there so that no one would be able to catch that they were the ones who'd done it in the first place.

Red Alert had removed the bucket from his head and was growling deeply in his throat. "Jetfire, I know you're responsible for all of this!" he spat.

"Whoever said I did it?" the winged mech asked innocently.

Everyone turned to look at him and Juliet, obviously they were not fooled by their SIC's innocent looks and Juliet's way of trying to look like she hadn't done it on purpose. Optimus Prime decided to speak up, but he kept himself from laughing. "I take that it was you, Jetfire and Juliet?" he asked.

Jetfire shook his head, as well as Juliet.

Optimus Prime frowned. "If no one steps up take the blame for this situation, then there will be further punishment, and I do not wish to do that to everyone else."

Finally, Juliet raised a hand, surprising everyone around her.

"You did this all on your own?" Optimus asked.

"I helped," Jetfire said suddenly.

"In that case, you will be cleaning up this mess Jetfire. Juliet will receive a different punishment."

Jetfire nodded as Optimus Prime held out a hand to give him the girl. The SIC obeyed, reluctantly, and placed Juliet in his commander's hand. Juliet looked extremely guilty, and Optimus couldn't help but feel sorry for her, but he could not afford such notices to go unpunished, especially when she was now under their care and they had to be the family and protect her at all costs.

* * *

When Optimus Prime arrived in his office, he gently placed Juliet on his desk before he sat down on his chair and looked at her straight in the eyes. An uncomfortable silence hung in the air and Juliet did not like this one bit, but she knew that whatever punishment that Optimus would throw at her, she would have to be prepared and not complain about such a matter.

Finally, after several minutes of the silence, Optimus Prime placed a hand on his temple and rubbed it a little before releasing a sigh from behind his silver mask. "Normally I'd allow both pranksters to clean up the mess, but since you're a human, I'd have to settle with something else. Something that will teach you discipline while you're under our roof."

Juliet nodded and placed her hands together, twiddling her thumbs, but still listening to the Autobot Commander, whom she'd considered her father during those three weeks of being cooped up in the Med-Bay when he'd visited her from time to time and telling her of the Minicon Battles, of Cybertron, Megatron, and of the life he'd lived before he'd become commander of the Autobots.

Optimus Prime had actually started considering Juliet as a daughter, and he was glad that she'd considered him as a father that she could barely even remember. He was even prouder when she'd called him 'father', and for that, he'd call her 'little one', or sometimes 'daughter', from time to time, and that strengthened their bond even more than they both realised, making them both protective of each other.

During those three weeks of recovery, Juliet would wonder where Optimus whenever Red Alert was in the Med-Bay and the CMO would reply by saying that he was busy working on a ship that would take them back to Cybertron. And when the Autobot Commander would come by for a visit, Juliet would greet him by giving him a hug by wrapping her arms around a silver hand or one of his fingers, and he would return the hug by gently rubbing her back with a finger.

"So," said Juliet, "what is my punishment?"

Optimus Prime sighed quietly and directed his optics straight at her green eyes. "I do not wish to do this, but it's the only way a parent can make sure that his, or her, child can learn. My punishment will be for you to be grounded for an Earth week."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I will confine from something. I know it sounds harsh, but that's just the way things are amongst you humans."

"I don't feel human when I'm around you guys, it's like as if I'm... a Transformer like you and can do anything that a human couldn't do. Like live an immortal life, and never have to worry about human rules."

Optimus Prime sighed again. "But as a father to you, it's my responsibility to ensure that you grow up into a healthy young woman who will one day do the same thing to her children."

"Sounds like I'm forced to grow up."

"Perhaps, but you'll thank me someday when you too might have a child of your own."

Juliet shrugged and sighed. "So what will you confine me from?" she asked.

"For now, you will stay away from Jetfire. If I find out that you're near him, there will be further punishment. Is that clear?"

Juliet nodded slowly. She understood what staying away from meant, but she didn't like the way it was spoken about. She just wished that she hadn't accepted that invitation of the prank from Jetfire, but she knew he was just trying to cheer her up. She told Optimus of the silver mech's intentions, and the Autobot Commander smiled. "One must always forgive one's intention on trying to help a comrade," he said gently. "But the punishment still hangs for now."

Juliet nodded once again and Optimus gently placed a hand on her back and stroked it gently with a finger. "I hate punishing my men, but when it comes to learning about discipline, it's just one way to skin a rabbit."

The young teenager giggled a little as Optimus Prime pointed at her chest and she looked down, only to get a very gentle flick in the face, making her laugh harder. "That's much better. I was wondering where that smiley girl got to," he chuckled.

Juliet laughed harder as Optimus gently laid her flat on her back and started to tickle her with an index finger, making her laugh madly until tears were pouring down her eyes and she was having a little trouble breathing. So he gently rubbed her on the back until she caught her breath, making her feel better. She sat up and twirled a finger on his large index finger.

"Are we feeling better now?" Optimus Prime asked.

"Much," Juliet answered.

"That's good to hear, I hope I get to see a lot of your smiles more often."

"But... I can't help but wonder who my parents are, or what became of them. You told me they were killed... by this Megatron, your arch nemesis. Is there any reason why he did it?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, Julie, but as wise as I may be, I do not have all the answers you expect me to have," Optimus answered sadly.

"It's okay. I might regain my memories someday. You never know really."

"Too true, Juliet, too true," Optimus agreed as he gently stood up and placed his right hand in front of her, inviting her to hop onto it. She gave a small smile and climbed on without a second thought. And together, they left the office to go and see if Jetfire had finished cleaning up Red Alert.

_Let's just hope it's not permeant paint, _Optimus thought with a light chuckle.

Juliet instantly caught his little laugh and she knew what he was thinking. "Don't worry, it isn't really permeant paint. If it was, Jetfire would still be doing all the work," she teased.

Optimus Prime couldn't help but laugh again.

* * *

"I see that you are correct, Juliet," said Optimus Prime, with Juliet on his right shoulder, once they'd gotten to the Med-Bay and were watching Jetfire just finish cleaning up the last of the pink paint from Red Alert's visor, and he'd just put the cloth that he had used into a bin.

"That's your problem taken care of, and my punishment gone," Jetfire said and threw a quick wink at Juliet, who giggled. Optimus frowned a little and shook his head, giving a mental warning to Jetfire to not get anymore ideas. Jetfire just nodded and stood up, polishing his hands before giving a very quick wink and leaving the room.

"Well, let's just hope it doesn't happen again, otherwise I'd have twice the punishment than you already gave him," Red Alert mumbled.

"And what would you have in mind?" Optimus asked.

"Let me guess, a prank war?" Juliet asked, instantly taking a guess that she knew was indeed correct.

"Aw, you read me like a book," Red Alert teased.

Juliet just shrugged. "It's quite easy to read your facial expressions when you've been spending a lot of time with a CMO, and an Autobot Commander, while in the Med-Bay. Obviously I had nothing else to do."

Optimus Prime chuckled. "Very true, Julie," he said.

Juliet gave a small stretch and yawned as well. She'd had a big and exciting day today, and she really needed to get some rest, and Optimus Prime knew that extremely well when a human was exhausted from a long day. The Autobot Commander turned to the CMO and asked, "Do you still wish for Juliet to stay here?"

"No, I don't think that's possible. I believe it's time for her to learn that the Med-Bay is not a place to stay all the time. It's only for a place for one to rest and recover, and since she's now fully healed, but still needing a little more time to recovering the strength in her legs, I suggest that she should spend the night with you, since you seem to... understand her better as a... surrogate father."

Juliet beamed in delight. "You mean I get to rest with father?" she asked.

"That is if you wish too," said Optimus kindly.

"I would love to!"

"Guess that's settled then. If all goes well by the next morning, then we can keep up with the routine for a fair while until she feels more comfortable enough to rest in a room of her own."

"Very well then, but does she require anything?"

"The only thing she'll need is a blanket and a pillow to keep her warm, but I reckon your Spark will see to most of the warmth if you keep her close to your chest. Though don't put her on top of you, you might actually kill her if you roll over."

"Understandable."

Red Alert nodded and took out a blanket and pillow that Juliet had been using while staying in the Med-Bay. He handed them to Optimus Prime and they bid each other goodnight in Cybertronian, then Red Alert said goodnight to Juliet in English and they were gone.

* * *

When they reached Optimus Prime's quarters, the Autobot Commander gently placed Juliet down on his bed and laid out her pillow and blanket before he climbed on as well. As he pulled her close to his chest to offer her warmth, Juliet decided to ask a question before Optimus turned out the lights.

"Will you teach me how to speak in that language?" Juliet asked.

"Cybertronian you mean?" Optimus asked.

"Yeah."

"Perhaps, but it will take you a fair while to learn because our language isn't really human you know."

"But if I'm going with you back to Cybertron, then I will have to learn it, won't I?"

"Not really. Every Transformer can speak English just as well as a human can the moment they're old enough to do so."

"But I still wish to learn."

"Very well, I shall teach you if you go to sleep. Deal?"

"Deal."

Optimus Prime switched his optics offline, and it wasn't long before Juliet's gentle breathing followed after his, and he knew that she'd fallen asleep far more quicker than he'd anticipated. He knew that, in his Spark, he'll protect her for as long as he functioned, and that was a promise he was willing to keep. But unfortunately fate was making her own plans for this girl's future that could change her new life forever.

* * *

**Spiritimus Prime: Yes, a cute moment between a surrogate father and adoptive daughter. I couldn't help it, and don't worry, I didn't plan on pairing them up, it was just a father and daughter moment if you get the picture, and it's still a JFxOC. :P I hope you enjoyed the chapter and please remember to R&R!**


	4. Death from Above

**Spiritimus Prime: Alright, here's the next chapter! I'm converting my next vol of TF Armada as I speak, but the bugger is taking it's usual time... slowly. LOL! Anyway, enjoy this chapter because I'm having a little trouble with the next chapter to Gift of Life. Agh! And plus, I had an X-Ray on my jaws, and it ain't even funny! Oh well, these days are making me feel old. XD**

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* * *

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Chapter 4:

**Death from Above**

Juliet's strength in her legs improved dramatically, and even the bond between her and Optimus Prime grew as well. But after her grounding had been removed of staying away from Jetfire, she couldn't help but go back to spending some time with the shuttle mech, and their friendship became even greater than Optimus realised. Though Red Alert did plan on getting revenge on the shuttle and the girl, he decided against it because of fearing that he might start a prank war, and he didn't want to get on his commander's nerves, so he left the idea alone. No Minicon had been awakened yet, but everyone all thought too soon.

Juliet was playing rock, paper, and scissors with Jetfire and she won again by drawing scissors while he drew paper. The shuttle mech laughed in amusement. "Aw look at that, you beat me again!" he said.

Juliet beamed in delight, but then frowned. "Are you letting me win?" she asked.

Jetfire shook his head. "Nope, I'm still new to this whole game. Rad and Carlos taught me yesterday," he replied.

Juliet shrugged and grinned. "Best four out of six?" she asked after a few more rounds with both of them winning at different times.

"You're on, shortie!"

"Don't call me 'shortie'!"

"Sorry, but you're so small compared to me."

"If I was a Transformer, I wouldn't!"

"Come on; let's just get this over with!"

Juliet rolled her eyes as Jetfire laid flat on his stomach plate, his golden optics squinting, as he drew closer and Juliet sat on her knees, eager to get the game going as quickly as possible. But the two were so busy concentrating; they hardly noticed the Autobot Commander watching them, and learning about this fascinating game.

Both Juliet and Jetfire had their hands tied behind their backs, each watching their opponent's eyes/optics as Jetfire smirked from behind his golden face plate. If he won this game, then he'd still remain champion of this awesome game, but if Juliet won, she'd be no.1 player and take his crown. He couldn't afford to lose this game, and if he did, everyone would be laughing at him. Oh he could see them now, laughing away at his humiliation of losing to a human.

"Rock," Juliet began.

"Paper," Jetfire said.

"Scissors," Juliet finished.

"Draw!" they both cried and drew out their weapons. Jetfire had drawn rock, and Juliet had drawn paper. Both of their eyes/optics widened in shock and surprise at the end result of the game. It had all come down to this, or the next round if it had been a draw, but obviously it had not, and it outcome had been in Juliet's favour.

Juliet gulped in shock and bit her bottom lip as Jetfire threw himself back and gave a childish whine. "Oh man!" he groaned. "I got beaten by a human!"

Juliet palmed her face as Jetfire turned to her. "Let's do it again! I'm sure I could beat you this time!"

"Erm... no thanks, I think you'd get... humiliated again," Juliet replied, obviously not wanting to hurt Jetfire's feelings.

Jetfire sighed and sat up. Juliet was probably right about the whole ordeal. He didn't want to get humiliated again, and the others might find out and make fun of him for losing to a human. But what could he do about it? They'd find out quicker than a cheetah could run!

"Do you want to do something else?" Juliet asked.

"Yeah, but like what?" Jetfire questioned.

"I've never been outside since I got here, so why don't you show me that?"

"I think that's a good idea, I could use with some fresh air, and the sun's just about to rise. So how about it?"

"The sunrise?" Juliet gasped.

"Of course the sunrise!"

"In that case, you wouldn't mind if I would join you two?"

Juliet and Jetfire looked up and saw Optimus Prime standing in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest and his head turned down a notch. Even though Juliet couldn't see it, she could tell that he was smiling behind his silver mask. She looked up at Jetfire, who'd swung an arm down and picked her up in his hands and she sat in the middle of them.

"We could always use the extra company," Jetfire said with a wink.

"Then it's settled then," Optimus laughed as he motioned them to follow him.

Jetfire obeyed without a second's hesitation and caught up with his commander before they walked shoulder to shoulder, while Juliet continued to look up at both mechs as they walked down the corridors the base.

* * *

As soon as Optimus Prime and Jetfire reached the rocky outcrop that overlooked the small town of Lincoln, Juliet had a little trouble seeing due to the slight darkness that was beginning to fade away with time. But as soon as they reached the cliff's edge, Juliet could just see the faint dots of light starting to disappear with each passing minute, but then the sun began to peak over the horizon and Juliet gasped in surprise as the sky turned from midnight black, to tints of red, pink, orange, yellow, and then to sky-blue.

"It's so beautiful," she gasped.

"Perhaps, but the sunsets are even better," Optimus said with a chuckle.

"Are all sunsets and sunrises as captivating as this back on Cybertron?" Juliet asked.

"We have a sun, but it's too far away to even give us any of those," Jetfire replied quietly.

"It must be disappointing to live on a metallic world while we live on something so beautiful that it looks like a sapphire jewel in space."

"Indeed it can be, but before even our war began, Cybertron was a golden glow in its prime," said Optimus as he turned his head to look at her, and she looked at him, her own blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight.

"Do you hope to make it like that again?"

"In due time, it will be."

Jetfire gently placed Juliet on his right shoulder, their eyes met for a second before they quickly looked away, their faces changing colours without realising it.

To Jetfire, Juliet was attractive, beautiful, courageous in spirit, and strong by will... Agh! What was he thinking?! He couldn't be taking a liking to her as more than just a friend... could he? Ah, who was he kidding, he was a Transformer, and she was a small organic human that couldn't live for no more than a hundred years, or less. Even if he told her how he felt, and she returned hers, how could he make her have an immortal life? If she died of old age, disease, or an illness, he'd continue to live on a miserable life until the end of time itself, and he would never take another mate for as long as he lived and his Spark would desire no one else but Juliet.

Juliet noticed Jetfire's thoughtful look and she gently rubbed a finger, catching him off guard for a moment. "Hey," she whispered, making Optimus lift an optic ridge in wonder. "Are you alright, Jetfire?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, just zoned off a bit," Jetfire laughed.

Optimus mentally shook his head. _Trust Jetfire to think of an excuse that quickly_, he thought to himself with a chuckle, earning stares of confusion from his adoptive daughter and Second in Command.

Juliet sighed and continued to watch the sunrise until the sky was as blue as the ocean. The young teenager was about to speak when Optimus' com-link went off. Rolling his optics, the commander answered it. "Prime here," he said simply.

"Sorry to bother you, sir, but a Minicon has just activated," Hot Shot's voice said over the com.

"Why so soon?" Optimus asked.

"Don't know," Hot Shot answered. "But you and Jetfire should get back here; Red Alert's putting in the coordinates to the area, so the Space Bridge is almost ready for us to launch."

"Very well, Hot Shot, we'll be there as soon as possible. Prime out." Optimus switched off his com-link and noticed that Juliet and Jetfire had been listening to the conversation with interest.

"It's really odd," said Jetfire with a puzzled expression on his face.

"Indeed. Why would a Minicon activate at a time like this after such a long while?"

"I'm just as confused as you are, sir, but a Minicon's a Minicon. Guess they just activate when they're ready."

"Perhaps."

"We shouldn't be standing around talking, you guys! We've got a Minicon to save!" Juliet cried, getting both mechs' attention and they nodded in agreement before they rushed off towards the Space Bridge to get ready.

* * *

Since the kids were still sleeping, Juliet was the only one available to go with the Autobots, and it made it all the more exciting for her first mission with them. As they shifted to their vehicle modes, an orange bird flew on Juliet's shoulder before it hopped into her open hands and transformed into a camera. "Is this Laserbeak?" she asked.

"Yes, I gave him to the kids so that he can watch over them for as long as we're here," Optimus replied.

"That's amazing. He really is tiny," said Juliet with a small smile.

"Who would you like to ride with?"

"Um... I think I'll ride with you, I think trucks are safer when it comes to driving, and plus, I'm more comfortable around you when it comes to vehicles."

"Alright." Optimus Prime then opened up his door; Juliet climbed into his cab and strapped herself in before putting Laserbeak into her pocket. "Are we ready?"

"Yup," Juliet replied.

"Red Alert, set the coordinates in!" Optimus ordered.

"Already in, sir," Red Alert answered.

"Launch!" Optimus vanished into the Space Bridge, with Juliet gripping tightly onto the handles of the seats, and the other Autobots followed right behind him.

* * *

When Optimus Prime reached their destination, he opened the cab door and Juliet tumbled out onto the grass, gasping for a breath before her stomach gave a slight groan. She shouldn't have eaten that toast for breakfast, because she wouldn't be in this... situation.

As Optimus shifted to his robot mode and gave her a concerned look, the other Autobots appeared right behind him and Juliet's stomach gave a heave before she spewed onto the grass. She'd never felt so horrible in her entire life.

"Okay, no offence, Julie, but that's disgusting!" Hot Shot cried.

"Hot Shot, lay off," Jetfire hissed.

Red Alert approached Juliet and gave her a quick rub on the back before handing her a glass of water; she drank it down so quickly that it surprised everyone, including Optimus Prime, who gave Hot Shot a stern stare. "You'd do well to not say a word like that again, Hot Shot. Obviously Juliet hasn't been through the Space Bridge and has had no idea of its effects on humans."

Hot Shot rolled his optics. "But still, I don't understand why they regurgitate."

"Sometimes it's a need to get rid of bad food, or when the human stomach is upset for no apparent reason," Red Alert explained.

"Sorry for the mess," Juliet whispered.

"It's alright, Juliet, I should've mentioned that with first-timers on Space Bridges, they intend to get sick sometimes," said Optimus as he bowed his head a little to address her.

"It's alright, but I'm feeling better now."

"Good. Now we should get to work on looking for that Minicon. We'll split into groups, but keep in touch as you go along, and take care to not tread on any trees; the environment is just as important as the Minicon. Clear?"

"Yes, sir," everyone replied.

"Jetfire, Juliet, and I will go together. Hot Shot, you'll go with Sideswipe. Scavenger will go with Blurr, and Smokescreen will go with Red Alert. Now let's roll out!"

With everyone in their teams, they split up in different directions to look for the Minicon while Juliet was gently lifted onto Prime's shoulder so that she could keep up with them without getting left behind because of their long strides that would make it impossible for her to keep up with.

* * *

Optimus Prime and Jetfire made it to a small clearing that was big enough to hold them and Scavenger without having to sit down at all. Juliet looked over Optimus' head and saw Jetfire scanning the sky. She was about to ask what was wrong when Optimus spoke up.

"We'll have to send Laserbeak to scan the area around us; I don't like this one bit."

"Okay," Juliet replied as she dug into her pocket and pulled out the camera/bird. Opening her hands, the tiny camera transformed into its bird form and took off into the sky, leaving Optimus Prime to form a holographic image of what the bird was seeing.

As Laserbeak flew higher, Juliet frowned when she thought she spotted something in the distance. "Hey, get Laserbeak to zoom in on that," she said.

Optimus nodded and ordered Laserbeak to take a closer look at it, but what the little bird saw made their voices get caught into their throats. "Starscream, Thrust, and Cyclonus!" Optimus and Jetfire said in unison.

"Oh no," Juliet whispered.

Before Optimus could carry out the order for Laserbeak to retreat, Cyclonus released a few rounds and everything went static. "Laserbeak!" Juliet cried.

"Slag!" Optimus cursed as he turned to Juliet. "Go and find cover, Jetfire and I will hold them off until backup arrives!" he ordered.

Juliet nodded reluctantly as she turned and ran, hiding behind some trees that were thick enough to hide her from anything. But not thick enough to hide her from the prying optics of a certain helicopter Decepticon that always had a cackle in his laughter.

The moment that psycho bot detected her rising body heat, he quietly shifted to robot mode and descended onto the ground, landing with a silent _thud _while Starscream and Thrust fired random shots at Optimus Prime, who'd combined with Jetfire to form Jet Optimus and was using his powerful blaster to fire on the two jet bots. Something wasn't right to the Autobot Commander, and he could feel it in his circuits. Where was Cyclonus?

Juliet was so busy concentrating on watching Optimus fire on the two jets that the silent approach of Cyclonus was undetectable until a bronze coloured hand wrapped around her body and lifted her into the air, making her squeal in fear and this caught Optimus' attention.

The moment the Autobot Commander turned, the rage of Jetfire pulsed through their connection and Optimus felt Jetfire's feelings for Juliet bubble like boiling water. He tried to calm him down, but Jetfire was so blinded by his rage that he made both of them shout in a demanding voice that shocked Optimus to the core of his Spark. "LET HER GO, CYCLONUS!"

Cyclonus just giggled as Juliet struggled against the helicopter bot's grip. It was tightening by the second, and she didn't know how long she'd be able to hold on, but she was beginning to feel her bones cracking underneath the hold. "Or you'll do what? Blast me?" Cyclonus laughed maniacally.

Optimus' fingers twitched, his minor thoughts were just enough to keep Jetfire from pulling the trigger. _If you do that, then you'll end up endangering Juliet. Do you want that to happen to her? Do you want to lose her?_ he hissed.

Jetfire growled mentally and made Optimus lower the gun. _No, sir, _he replied softly.

Optimus sighed quietly, glad that the whole thing was over, as he regained control. "Put her down, Cyclonus, we'll give you the Minicon if that's what you're after!"

"The Minicon?" Starscream asked. "There's no Minicon!"

"This whole thing was a trap?" Optimus asked.

"Hehehehehe! Yup!" Cyclonus laughed giddily.

"Slag!" Optimus cursed again. "Where are the others?"

"Let's just say that they're… caught up," Thrust replied as he shifted to his robot mode, followed by Starscream.

Jet Optimus growled underneath his breath and tried to take a step forward, but Cyclonus lifted his blaster and pointed it at Juliet, causing the Autobot Commander to come to a halt. "Take one more step and the squishy gets it," he said with a smirk.

Optimus halted while Jetfire's thoughts rang through his head. _No…_

Juliet continued to struggle against Cyclonus' grip, but she failed to even make an attempt, and she heard something crack inside her and she screamed. Two ribs had broken and tears of pain poured down from her eyes. "Aw, did poor baby get a booboo?" Cyclonus cooed.

After hearing her scream, Optimus felt Jetfire's rage so much that he couldn't stand it anymore. Cyclonus must pay for what he'd done to her! In his rage, he charged directly at the copter bot and tackled him hard. The attack had been so sudden that it caught Cyclonus completely by surprise, and he dropped Juliet, sending her flying into the air. Optimus reacted so quickly that he looked like a blur to the two Decepticons. He gently grabbed her and held her close to his Spark protectively. Growling, he turned to the Decepticons, his rage so high that it almost made him look like a demon or something. "Alright," he snarled, "who wants' some?"

Starscream had never seen so much rage before, and he backed off immediately before transforming to his jet mode and took off, while Thrust just stood there like a panicked deer in headlights. Without another second, he turned and made a run for it, leaving Cyclonus alone, but Optimus focused his attention onto Juliet, who was having a hard time breathing.

Gently, he set her down on the soft grass and split back into Jetfire and Optimus Prime. They kneeled down, trying to soothe her while Optimus turned his com-link on, calling Red Alert, who reported that the Decepticons had all retreated. Optimus ordered Red Alert to get to their coordinates as quick as he could.

Cyclonus stood up on wobbly feet and then aimed one of his blasters the Autobot Commander. "Say bye-bye, Oppie," he cackled, but Juliet had seen him and she sat up quickly.

"Optimus, behind you!" she shouted.

Optimus Prime immediately understood what he meant and he leapt in front of her to shield her from the released blast, but a small part of the purple energy got past his royal red body and hit Juliet in the side, and she emitted a scream from her mouth before she fell back down in a smoking heap, her clothes singed as Jetfire let off a wail of anger and he pulled out his blaster and blindly shot at Cyclonus, but the Decepticon was gone.

"No!" Jetfire cried as he rushed over to Juliet's side, pushing back his commander as Red Alert came running onto the scene, gasps escaped everyone's lips as they appeared from behind the CMO, and they watched as Jetfire used a thumb to gently stroke away the drops of blood from Juliet's eyes.

Optimus tried to calm Jetfire down, but the shuttle mech threw back his head and screamed as loud as he could as Red Alert approached and took a look at her. "She's still breathing!" he cried.

Everyone gasped in shock as Jetfire looked up in surprise. "You… mean we can save her?" he asked.

"Maybe, but we have to get her back to base as quick as possible!"

"Alright," Optimus called, getting everyone's attention as he turned to Hot Shot. "Hot Shot, open the Space Bridge!" he ordered. "We're running out of time!"

Hot Shot nodded, knowing better than to argue with his commander at a time like this, and he opened up the Space Bridge. Red Alert picked up Juliet carefully as he leapt into the bridge with Jetfire following right behind him, his golden optics flaring with rage and anger as the others followed.

* * *

**Spiritimus Prime: Oh no! What's going to happen to Juliet? Can she be saved, and if that's the case, will Jetfire be able to tell her how he feels about her? Odd time for a cliffhanger, but you'll find out in the next chapter. :P Later guys! I hope you enjoyed this!**


	5. Resurrection

**Spiritimus Prime: Oh boy, school's coming to an end and the holidays are about to begin in two more weeks. I'm getting so excited that I'm dying inside out! And plus, the Clone Wars has just come out in theatres yesterday, I'm going to be seeing it on the weekend, probably tomorrow, but OMFP!! It's so exciting! Enjoy this chapter, enough said!**

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Chapter 5:

**Resurrection**

The moment the Autobots returned back to base, Red Alert was so quick on his feet, that he was gone in a matter of seconds before they even knew that he was there in the first place. Jetfire wanted to catch up with the CMO to know that Juliet was going to be okay, but he was far too tired to even take a step, so Optimus Prime gently placed a hand on his shoulder, and then rushed off to follow Red Alert while several of the Autobots offered words of comfort to the SIC, but he would have none of it. He really wanted to know if Juliet was going to be okay, but obviously Scavenger ordered him to rest.

* * *

Red Alert gently, but quickly, set Juliet's body onto the table, as he started attaching wires and drips to her. Panic and fear was beginning to pulse through his systems, and everything looked like it was all going in slow motion. If he didn't hurry and get her stabled enough, Juliet's life would very well end. Forever. Even as he worked, he hardly noticed the time passing by as he removed Juliet's clothes, leaving her chest bare, and attaching a heart-monitor to her. Oil dripped from the side of his forehead and his terror began to increase. Would Juliet make it, or would all his hard work be for nothing?

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hardly heard Optimus Prime walking in until he spoke in a calm, but still nervous, voice. "How is she doing?" he asked.

Red Alert nearly jumped out of his armour, but he quickly took a deep breath and he rapidly went back to work, but he still answered Prime's question. "I don't know, sir, I'm trying to keep her stabled as much as I possibly can, but I'm slowly losing her! I've got her heart stabilized, but she's losing too much blood as I speak, and there's nothing I can do to stop it."

Optimus Prime looked down at Juliet's still breathing frame, his usually calm mind was slowly starting to go into panic mode, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. He bit his bottom lip and tried to keep himself as calm as possible, after all, he needed to be strong for his men, and right now, things could very well end badly for Juliet. No! He will not give up! Not while she was still breathing! He lifted his head as his golden optics glowed dimly. "Is there anything you can do, even cheat death?" he asked, trying to keep his voice from cracking.

Red Alert thought about it for a moment, if he didn't think of anything soon, then Juliet would no longer be with them. He and the other Autobots had only just gotten to know her after she'd lost her memories in the car accident, recovered, and had spent a week getting to know them, considering Optimus as her father, and even starting her life anew. Had meeting the Autobots have all been for nothing? Had it all been a waste of time to Primus? He wasn't sure, but whatever options he had, he needed to think fast before it was too late.

Red Alert looked up at his commander, an unsure look on his face, including serious. "There's only one option that, I believe, can save her life, but if I'm proven wrong, then that's the end of Juliet's life. It's the only choice that we've got."

"What is your suggestion?" Optimus asked, as a glint of hope sparkled in his optics.

"What I'm suggesting is that I could transfer her mind, and soul, into a blank Spark, and then build her a Transformer body," Red Alert answered.

"You mean… turn her into one of us?"

"Precisely, but if the transfer fails, then we'll pretty much lose Juliet in thin air."

"How long do you think Juliet has to live?"

"By my calculations, a few days because of how much blood she's losing, but if I can patch them up as quickly as I can, I might just be able to bide enough time to get the blank Spark ready, including the machine that I need to transfer it."

"And how just much time will the patching give?"

"Five weeks, and the machine and Spark will take, all together, a month to get everything ready."

"And the body?"

"About two weeks, since we've got the right materials here."

"Alright, I'm giving you that much time to save Juliet's life, and by Primus, you must, I believe Jetfire would be devastated to find out that his best friend had died right now. Also, I cannot afford to lose her because she is under my care, including my protection."

"I'll do my best sir, but I cannot guarantee anything."

"Just do your best, and if we lose her, then Cyclonus will get the worst punishment in Transformers' History." With that said, Optimus Prime turned and left the room, leaving Red Alert to sigh as he quickly went to work on trying to stop the fast bleeding that was seeping from her injuries, including burnt skin and clothes.

Finally, after nearly an hour, he'd managed to slow the bleeding down, and now, it was only a matter of time before Juliet would make a full recovery, but he knew that in his Spark, the young teenager was never going to heal. He should probably get to work on the Spark as quickly as possible, otherwise all hell would break loose amongst the Autobots, and he couldn't afford to let Prime down, especially at a time like this.

* * *

The moment Optimus Prime walked past the Rec. Room, he spotted Jetfire sitting quietly on a chair with his face in his hands and his back hunched. Tilting his head to the side in puzzlement, Optimus approached from behind his SIC, he knew that Jetfire was distressed about Juliet being in her condition, and he understood fairly well what it was like to be worrying about someone you cared about, especially with those that you were starting to fall for.

The moment he was by Jetfire's side, the shuttle mech looked up at his commander and asked, "Why?"

Optimus hadn't expected a question like that, and he was caught completely off guard by it. He turned his head down a notch and sighed quietly. He didn't want to get Jetfire's hopes up on Juliet being turned into a Transformer and that there was no guarantee that she might survive the ordeal. "I'm not sure if I can answer that question for you, Jetfire, but all we do is hope until Red Alert comes up with something for us."

Jetfire shook his head, obviously reluctant with what his commander had just said. He hated waiting, especially when it involved someone that he'd just gotten to know and… like for some apparent reason. Just what can he do while Juliet laid on a bed with tubes and cables attached to her body? He wasn't sure, and he hated every moment of it.

Optimus sighed once more and placed a hand on Jetfire's shoulder. "Just give Red Alert some time, Jetfire, you never know what could happen, but don't get your hopes up in case that she may not make it through the day, or the night," he said before turning to leave.

"Optimus Prime."

"What is it, Jetfire?" Optimus asked as he looked back at his Second in Command.

"Do you think that Juliet can pull through this?" Jetfire asked as his golden optics nearly fell into tears and he tried to hide his sadness by looking away from his commander's optic contact.

"With enough belief and hope, I know that she can pull through this situation. Anything is possible, even trying to cheat death."

Jetfire lifted an optic ridge and tried to press the matter further, but Optimus refused to answer the question. Giving up, Jetfire returned to his moping after Optimus had left him alone to think, there are just times when he had to learn to accept things that he could never change. But he wondered what Optimus meant by 'cheating death'. Did Red Alert have some kind of plan that only Optimus knew about and was just trying to hide it from him in case that something might go wrong? Whatever it was, he just hoped that Red Alert would be able to save her soon, otherwise his mid would go absolutely ballistic.

* * *

Two weeks passed pretty slowly for Optimus and Jetfire, but to everyone else, it just seemed like it was nothing, but they were all worried about Juliet's condition, and she wasn't doing as well as Red Alert had hoped. She got no better, and she continued to bleed whenever Red Alert uncovered one of her injuries to check on their progress of healing. Time was running out far quicker than the CMO had predicted. By his best calculations now, she only had two weeks to live. He would have to start the transfusion as quickly as possible, and the blank Spark was nearly ready. He just needed two more hours and the machine was completed just yesterday for he'd stayed up for three nights just to get it ready in time.

Optimus Prime walked into the Med-Bay, his optics looked dull from lack of sleep, and even Red Alert could tell that he'd been busy worrying about Juliet's condition, and probably having nightmares about what might become of her if the CMO didn't succeed. "How is she?" the Autobot Commander asked tiredly.

Red Alert sighed, hiding his exhaustion extremely well. "Not good. Every time I check on her body's healing progress, more blood just keeps leaking through whenever it gets the chance. It makes me worry so much that I can't even change the bandages for fear of killing her," he explained.

Optimus lowered his head a little. "Then I guess the more this happens, she will lose more of her energy?" he asked.

"Yes, my predictions came out entirely wrong. She only has two weeks to live now, but I'm nearly done with the blank Spark, and the machine had just been completed last night. I've spent the last three nights and days working on it without taking many breaks."

Optimus lifted his head in surprise. "You should take a break right now, if you do not, you'll collapse!"

Red Alert laughed. "No, just give me two more hours to complete the Spark, and once we've done the transfusion, I will take a break and then get to work on the body."

Optimus sighed, knowing better than to argue with the CMO. Once he'd made up his mind, it stuck that way. He chuckled and shook his head. "Alright, but promise me that you will, or else I'll have your head," he warned.

Red Alert mockingly saluted, earning another tired laugh from his commander. "Might I suggest that you get some rest, sir? The more you think about Juliet's condition, more you will not sleep."

"You're right. I should stop worrying 24/7. I'll do as you say, but when you're about to begin the transfusion, let me know."

"I will, sir. Rest well."

Optimus Prime nodded before he turned and left the Med-Bay, leaving Red Alert to take a look at his work. Creating a blank Spark was a little tricky, but he was almost done and he just needed those two hours to get it over with. He looked at Juliet through the corner of his red visor and watched as her breathing rose and fell slowly. He knew of Jetfire's feelings for her because of what Optimus told him several days ago while he'd been combined with the SIC and how he'd felt the shuttle mech's emotions to just tear up Cyclonus into tiny pieces.

It was odd falling for someone of a different species, but now that Juliet was becoming one of them, the possibility was going to be possible. Sighing, Red Alert returned to his work, his forehead dripping with beads of oil and he wiped them away to cool himself down a little. He really needed a break, but he couldn't take one, not after when he was so close to finishing off the Spark.

* * *

Optimus Prime wasn't sure how long he'd been sleeping for, but resting his optics had been the only priority on his mind. But as much as he tried to sleep, his thoughts were still haunted by Juliet's terrified face when Cyclonus had shot at her after the Autobot Commander had tried to shield her from the debris and when chunks of Energon had pierced her body without a moment to spare. He tossed and turned, trying to ease his thoughts of the events that had occurred, but he failed miserably.

But then his com-link went off and Optimus woke up with a start. Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, he turned his com-link on, his breath still uneasy but less laboured. "Prime here. Report."

"Sorry to disturb you, Optimus, but I've finished with the Spark," Red Alert's nearly excited voice spoke.

Optimus nearly fainted from the shock, but he fell out of his bed and onto the floor before he gave a slight chuckle. "That's great, Red Alert, I'll be down there as soon as I can," he said before he turned off his com-link, picked himself up, and headed for the Med-Bay as fast as he could.

* * *

When he reached the Med-Bay, Red Alert was just attaching some wires to Juliet's chest and head, but he was being very careful to not touch any of the bandages in case he might disturb the overflowing blood that was still caged up in their injuries. Optimus bit his bottom lip behind his mask, hoping that this might work.

Red Alert took a deep breath as he took out a glowing, grey ball that hardly flickered at all. That must be the blank Spark that he'd been working on 24/7, but Optimus hardly paid much attention to the detail of the Spark. He was far too busy looking at Juliet's delicate frame.

As Red Alert placed the Spark onto a table on the opposite side of Juliet, he turned his back on his commander and said, without looking, "You might want to step back, sir, this might be dangerous."

Optimus obeyed and stepped as far back as he possibly could until his back touched the wall.

Red Alert sighed once more. "Cross your servos," he muttered and pressed a few buttons. The machine gave off a wiring sound before it whined and hummed into life. The CMO took hold of a lever and looked over at Juliet, and then at the blank Spark. _Primus, _he thought, _I hope this works._ He pulled the lever down and electricity sparked everywhere, dancing like some kind of disco ball on a Halloween Night.

Juliet's body seemed to flinch from the electricity, but the next thing Optimus knew, static jumped from the wires and then travelled down to the waiting grey Spark. Everything seemed quiet for the moment and the Spark didn't change colour with life. Biting his bottom lip, Red Alert looked over at Optimus. "I'm… so sorry."

Optimus lowered his head. Had they really lost Juliet? No! He wouldn't believe it! He was about to shout at the CMO when the grey Spark then shone with life and colours of red, blue and gold were brought up until the Spark settled into a blue and silver colour, as though it was pleased with what it had chosen, and it settled down, beating like a human heart with life and determination.

"I… I don't believe it!" Red Alert cried in disbelief. "Nothing has ever survive such a tactic like that before!"

Optimus was at a loss for words. He wasn't sure how it had happened, but he sent his regards to Primus, thanking Him for bringing Juliet back with them, and promising that he would do whatever it took to protect her at all costs and for as long as he functioned.

He then turned to Red Alert, his golden optics softening. "As promised, take a two day break, and then you can work on the body," he said as he smiled from behind his silver mask.

"Yes of course, sir," said Red Alert as he bowed his head and turned to pick up the Spark, but Optimus Prime stopped him by grabbing his shoulder. The CMO looked at his commander in confusion. "I need to get the Spark in a chamber so that it can survive."

"I'll do that, Red Alert. You need to rest up. The Spark will still be here when you get back," said Optimus as he shook his head to show that he meant fully well on his promise.

"Alright, sir, see you in two days." With that said, Red Alert then turned and walked out the Med-Bay, heading for his quarters, while Optimus looked down at the blue and silver Spark as it hummed gently while pulsing with new life and beauty. He couldn't wait to see what Red Alert would come up with for the body, and what kind of name Juliet might think of in the future.

Gently, he picked up the Spark in his silver hands and approached a small box that had been specially designed for newly born Sparks that would be placed in while their new bodies would be built, or rebuilt. He opened the lid and gently placed the Spark in the box. The Spark hovered in the middle for a moment but then relaxed its pulsing.

"I'll see you real soon, Juliet, and even Jetfire will look forward to seeing you as well," the Autobot Commander whispered before he took out a note from his sub-space pocket and placed it next to the box. Without a hesitation and a little spring in his step, Optimus turned and left the room, hoping to catch up on a good night's sleep.

* * *

Two days later after taking his time off to recuperate, Red Alert returned to the Med-Bay to find that Juliet's Spark was still in the box like Optimus had promised. Pleased that it was still functioning, the CMO noticed the note next to the box and he picked it. He instantly recognised his commander's hand writing and he sat down to read it.

_Dear Red Alert_

_Now that you've rested after working on the machine and Juliet's new Spark, I've decided to leave you this note for a reason that you should about. Since you'll be designing the body real soon, I thought I would just let you know on what Juliet's favourite colours are. She mostly likes blue, silver, and yellow, but I'll let you decide on the colours for her optics. As for alt mode pre-design, chose whatever you think is necessary, but I believe Juliet wishes to fly. Once she's online again, we'll let her chose her own alt mode on her occasion. Once the body is complete, let me know, and we can get her Spark inside as soon as possible._

_Optimus Prime_

Red Alert put the note down and went to go get the parts that he needed to make the body, including the permanent paint that he might need to give Juliet the colours that she might like. As far as he could tell, he was not a pushover when it came to choosing colours for a newly built body, but the colours that Juliet liked might seem a little not suited for each other. Perhaps just blue and yellow would do. Silver just wasn't the kind of colour that would be perfect for the body, but perhaps he could make the optics silver? He could go with that kind of idea. At once, he got to work.

* * *

Jetfire sighed as he walked down the corridors of the Autobot Base. He missed Juliet so much that it was no longer any fun without her company, and even he no longer felt like the cheerful type. This worried his comrades greatly, and even Optimus Prime seemed disturbed by Jetfire's quietness. It just wasn't the same without Jetfire to keep them on their toes, and the mood amongst the Autobots was beginning to dampen.

Jetfire had lost track of time due to his depression, but Optimus knew that the two weeks were up and had decided to go and visit Red Alert to see how the new body was coming along.

* * *

Red Alert stood back to admire his piece of work. Now that the body had been complete, he knew that he would have to tell Prime if it was complete or not. But before he could turn on his com-link, the Autobot Commander walked through the door, a hidden smile underneath his mask. He looked at the completed body structure, and he couldn't help but admire the CMO's handiwork. "You've done an excellent job, Red Alert, I'm sure Jetfire would be very pleased with what you'd accomplished," he said.

Red Alert beamed with pride. "Thank you sir, now we should get the Spark into the body as soon as possible," he said as Optimus nodded and they turned to face the blue and silver Spark that pulsed quickly. Did it know that it was going into a new home and was going to start a new life? There was only one way to find out, and that was to get it inside before they got too excited.

Red Alert opened the lid of the Spark box and Optimus gently picked it up. The Spark warmed under Optimus' touch and it glowed even brighter than before. It was time to be reborn into a world that it had never seen since the day Cyclonus had shot down Juliet's previous body.

Closing the lid and leading Optimus towards the table, Red Alert opened the chest of the robot and the Autobot Commander gently placed the Spark amongst the wires that would hold the Spark in its new chamber. The wires wrapped around the Spark as though they were welcoming it greatly. The Spark pulsed faster than ever before and light seeped into the wires, pumping Energon and whatever materials the new body needed. Red Alert closed the chest plate and he, and Optimus, stood back, waiting for Juliet to awaken.

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Juliet's POV

The last thing I could possibly remember was total darkness. I don't know how long I might've lain there, but I did see flashes of blue and silver, then more lines of blurs and colours that mixed into one. I wasn't sure what happened after that, because everything became so numb that I could hardly feel a thing in my body. Not even the tiniest of the hairs on my body until I heard voices. I had trouble remembering who the first one belonged to, but I instantly recognised the second, but, again, I had trouble making out what was being said between the two.

The only thing I could hear were beeps and slight humming of a machine. But then real darkness took over once again and then I knew nothing more. But then, I felt everything coming back to me. My mind became clearer, my senses were more acute than I realised, and even my body felt different. I searched through my mind that would allow me to find my eye sight. I found it, and then my world became extremely clear. What I'd never expected to see were two familiar figures.

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No One's POV

The moment Juliet's optics came online by turning bright silver, and then into normal, Optimus walked forward until he was in her line of sight. "How are you feeling, Juliet?" he asked.

Juliet didn't answer right away, for she was still trying to get used to her new body, and that was something she hardly recognised at all. She tried to find her voice, but all she got out was a little squeak. She tried again and this time, it became a lot clearer than before. "B... better than before, it's like as if there's hardly any pain at all. My body feels a little numb, but other than that, I'm good," she replied. Her voice still sounded the same, but it just had a slight sign of metallic in it.

"That's good to hear," Optimus said with a nod.

"Er... is it just me, or did you guys shrink?" Juliet asked, her head tilting to the side in confusion.

Optimus shook his head and chuckled. "No," he said. "You just got a little bit bigger."

* * *

**Spiritimus Prime: Yeap, another cliffhanger. I wonder how Jetfire's going to react when Juliet comes and tells him the good news of her ressurection? And plus, i'm still trying to work out what Juliet should choose when she transforms, though I want it to be something that can fly, but it ain't going to be a dragon, for that might seem Mary-Suish. :P Later guys, I hope you enjoyed this!**


	6. Two Words: I'm Back!

**Spiritimus Prime: Weeee! Next chapter's up! I'm moving onto Gift of Life, and then You're Not Alone as soon as I can! I hope you enjoy!**

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Chapter 6:

**Two Words: I'm Back!**

Juliet gazed down at her hands and realised exactly what Optimus had meant when he said she'd gotten a little bigger. Actually she was much bigger than she previously was! She flexed her fingers, trying to get used to their new feeling, but it was a little difficult. Her hands were sky blue while her forearms were yellow and her upper arms were sky blue as well. She tilted her head to the side, trying to test out some of her gears.

Optimus Prime's voice interrupted her thoughts and she looked up at him curiously. "Do you want to see what you look like?" he asked. Juliet nodded and Optimus motioned to Red Alert to get something that would reflect her image and make things easier for her to see the details of herself.

Red Alert returned with a large frame of steel and held it in front of Juliet. The new femme gasped at what she saw. Her chest, thighs and feet were the colours of yellow while her hips and calves were sky blue. But it was her face that surprised her the most. Her face was feminie like with sharp sky blue cheeks, a yellow helmet covered her head and she noticed the silver optics staring right at her. She also noticed that she had two pieces of yellow metal, one covering her nose and another covering her chin. She wondered if they had a purpose, so she asked Red Alert and he chuckled. "That's actually where your face mask meets together to protect your face while you fight," he replied.

Juliet nodded until she noticed something poking over her shoulder. She looked behind her and saw that it as a wing. The Autobot symbol glowed in the middle while yellow and blue stripes stretched from her back to the tip of the wing. "I'm a flyer?" she asked.

Optimus nodded. "Yes, since you've taken a liking to flying with Jetfire, I thought it would wise to have another flyer amongst the Autobot cause. However, you'll you need to chose an earth alt mode, but that will be later on in the future. You need to get used to your new body first."

Juliet nodded before she swung her legs over the bed and tried to stand to her full height, but she wobbled and fell to the floor, but Optimus caught her easily and stood her back up. "Just keep practising, little one, you'll get there soon enough," he said gently. He took a step back, but kept a hold of her arms and Juliet wobbled again, but she kept her balance. She flexed her wings in panic without realising it and she stumbled again. Optimus caught her once again and they all laughed.

Juliet took a deep breath and she let go of Optimus' hands. She bit her bottom lip as she finally found her balance and she took an unsteady step. Optimus stuck close to her, but she didn't reach out for him like a sparkling would. Placing one foot in front of the other, Juliet took a few more steps before she found herself at the wall of the Med-Bay. She took a glance behind her shoulder and smiled. "I did it!" she cried.

"You did well, Juliet. I'm very proud of you. It looks like you're well on your way to being an Autobot," Optimus said as Red Alert nodded in agreement. Juliet giggled as she fell back onto the floor and laughed again, making her two friends laugh as well. "Then again, maybe not," Optimus said with a chuckle as he helped Juliet back onto her feet.

"Shall I go tell everyone the good news?" Red Alert asked.

"No, I think I'll do that. I want to see the looks on their faces when they see me," Juliet said as a smirk crossed her lips. Red Alert knew that look anywhere. He'd seen it on Jetfire, and he knew that it was a sign of trouble. Maybe Optimus should've suggested that Juliet spend time with him or Scavenger, and not the immature ones.

Optimus seemed to think about it until he nodded. "Alright, but don't startle them too much. I'd go visit Jetfire first, he's been taking it very harshly and hasn't been the same since your accident," he said.

"Nah, I'll let Jetfire suffer a little longer. I'll go see Hot Shot and Sideswipe first," Juliet answered.

"Very well, but do be gentle."

"I will." Juliet then turned and walked out the room on unsteady feet, but she was quick to regain her balance. Red Alert shook his head and turned to look at his commander, a concerned look on his face. Optimus shook his head, understanding his old friend's concern.

"Don't worry about it, Red Alert. I'm sure that everything will be alright."

"I'm not concerned about Juliet at the moment, I'm more worried about what she might do to everyone," the CMO answered as he turned his head down a notch. He obviously didn't like what Juliet was planning, for trouble could brew anywhere.

Optimus chuckled. "As I said before, I'm sure everything will be alright. I'm thinking about assigning Scavenger to train her on how to fight, though I don't think she'll take a liking to it at all."

"And I thought Hot Shot was bad," Red Alert said mockingly, earning a laugh from the Autobot Commander. Optimus then lowered his head and Red Alert thought he saw a glint in his optics.

"Just give her some time to adjust herself. If she needs any help, we'll be there to support her. Remember, she still has the memory loss because of what happened before we met her." He then turned and walked out the room with Red Alert just watching his back for a moment before he turned and started cleaning up.

* * *

Juliet leaned on a wall for a moment, trying to keep herself steady. Maybe she should've stayed with Optimus so that he could keep an optic on her while she went about the base looking for her friends. But she'd made her choice, and it seemed to have been a really bad idea for going out on her own. Pushing her weight off the wall, she regained her balance before continuing on her way down the corridors. She was hoping to catch Hot Shot and Sideswipe in the halls, but she had the feeling that they might be in the Training Room, blowing off steam.

She was quite surprised to find Smokescreen walking towards her. He looked a little sullen and lost. Perhaps he was missing her and he hadn't noticed she was there. It was time to have her fun. She was about to clear her throat, but she lost her balance and fell to the floor. Smokescreen saw her fall and he was at her side immediately. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked as he helped her to her feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks," Juliet replied as she leaned on the wall again before straightening herself up.

"Are you new around here?" Smokescreen asked, tilting his head to the side.

"You might say that," Juliet replied.

"Do I know you?"

"Maybe," the femme replied with a hidden smirk.

"Wait a minute… you're not…"

"Two words for you, Smoky. I'm back!"

"I don't believe it! Juliet! It really is you!" Smokescreen then leapt forward and wrapped his large arms around Juliet's body. "I thought you were history when Cyclonus shot you and I hadn't heard a thing from Red Alert in weeks! How did it happen?"

"Why don't you ask Reddy yourself? He brought me back," Juliet said.

Smokescreen laughed and shook his head. "You maybe different, but you haven't changed a bit in the week I've known you. You going off to see the others?" he asked.

"Yeah, I was about to go and find Hot Shot and Sideswipe, but I ran into you along the way."

"Did you see Jetfire yet? He hasn't been the same since your accident."

"No, I haven't. I'm going to see him after Hot Shot and Sideswipe. After all, I want to make him suffer a little while longer."

"You're cruel," Smokescreen joked.

"I wouldn't be if Jetfire hadn't taught me all his tricks on playing pranks."

"Alright, guess I'll let you go then. I'll see you around then?"

"Yup, I'll see you soon, Smoky."

Smokescreen laughed once more before he walked past Juliet and continued on his way to ask Red Alert for a few things and question him about how he brought her back. But first, he wanted to see Optimus Prime.

Juliet then continued on her way to the Training Room.

* * *

"Stupid."

_Bang!_

"Slaggin'."

_Bang!_

"Cyclonus!"

_Bang!_

Sideswipe watched anxiously as Hot Shot blew bullseye after bullseye. It worried him to the core of his Spark that his brother was straining himself ever since the accident and he wondered if Hot Shot will ever get over the fact that Juliet might not make it at all. The youngest Autobot hadn't heard a breath from Red Alert, and it concerned him greatly. He wondered if Juliet was still recovering from the whole ordeal, or maybe she just couldn't recover. No! He can't think like that! He can't give up on his friend! If she died, then he wouldn't know what to do.

Sighing, Sideswipe stood beside Hot Shot and gently placed a hand upon his brother's shoulder. "Take it easy, bro, you're overdoing it," he said, trying to speak in a soothing tone, but he couldn't help but let a croak escape this throat. He tried to contain himself, but it was difficult. How could you stay calm when a friend of yours was lying on a med-bed and hadn't heard a word from the medic?

Hot Shot looked towards Sideswipe, his blue optics looked like they were on the verge to tears. He bit his bottom lip and lowered his head. "I... I can't help it, Sideswipe. She was taken from us, and I've come to know her as a sister even though we've only known her for a week!" he cried.

Sideswipe nodded slightly until someone cleared their throat. Turning, he and Hot Shot looked over their shoulders to see a sky blue and yellow femme with silver optics and Cybertronian wings. "Am I interrupting anything?" she asked.

Sideswipe looked towards Hot Shot, who shrugged, and he looked up. "No, what can we do for you?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing much, I was on my way to see Jetfire until I came across this area, I heard you guys talking so I decided to pop by and see you." The femme seemed to be giving off a hidden smirk and Sideswipe frowned a little. She looked a little familiar, including her voice, but he couldn't figure out where he'd heard her speak. He looked at Hot Shot, and he could see that he too was frowning. The femme approached them and took a look at the weapon in Hot Shot's hands. "You do realise that gun is set onto kill, not stun, do you?" she asked.

Hot Shot looked a little surprised and he lifted an optic ridge. "What do you mean?" he asked. The femme motioned towards his gun and pointed at a switch that had been switched onto kill mode. Surprised, the yellow mech quickly switched the button to stun mode.

The femme shook her head, her silver optics amused. "Still as foolish as before when I first met you during the week, huh, Hot Shot?" she asked, her optics twinkling in the light. Hot Shot and Sideswipe gave each other confused looked until the femme chuckled. She then leaned forward and whispered into Hot Shot's audio receptor. "Does the name Juliet ring any bells?" she asked.

Hot Shot jumped a mile in the air and Sideswipe fell onto the floor as he gazed up ay Juliet in surprise. "No... it couldn't be, we... Cyclonus... he shot you, we hadn't heard a word from Red Alert and we thought you might've died!" Hot Shot cried.

"The same reaction I got from Smoky when he dropped by," Juliet laughed as she folded her arms across her chest. Sideswipe gave a confused look, so Juliet explained on how she nearly fallen over and how Smokescreen had helped her up and had instantly guessed who she was when she'd spoken and had given a few clues on who she was. When she'd finished, Hot Shot and Sideswipe were giving amazed looks.

Hot Shot turned back to look at Juliet. "It's really good to see that you're okay now. And you're a Transformer now? Wow, that is really shocking," he said.

Juliet smiled and gave him a gentle punch on the shoulder, earning a laugh from Sideswipe. "I wouldn't even dream of leaving a brother behind," she said as she pulled him and Sideswipe into a hug. "Are we the three stooges?" she asked, earning confused looks from them until she explained that it meant best friends or family.

Hot Shot laughed and held out a hand. "Yeah, we're the three... stooges, sis. You in?" he asked, looking at Sideswipe and Juliet. The two glanced at each other before they smiled and Juliet placed her hand on top of Hot Shot's, and Sideswipe followed in suit. "Family until the end," they said in unison.

"Well, I better go and find Jetfire, I think he's suffered enough of my biding," Juliet said. Hot Shot and Sideswipe nodded as Juliet turned and left, leaving the two brothers to watch her go before they returned to their training. Their worries now deceased.

* * *

Jetfire paced up and down in the Rec. Room. His anxiety growing by the second as he continued to bit his bottom lip and tasting his own Energon as it dripped onto his lips and down his chin from behind his golden face mask. He'd been told by Optimus Prime that a new recruit was here and was coming to see him so that he could show him around. Well, he hadn't been told what gender that the new recruit had, but he had a feeling that it was a mech. Boy was he in for a surprise. He knew that Optimus was trying to keep him busy so that he wouldn't have to worry about Juliet nearly 24/7, but the more the time passed of her injured self, the less her chances of survival became. He knew he shouldn't worry too much because of being in good hands with Red Alert, but he couldn't help himself. He'd tried to pry information from Optimus, but the Autobot Commander refused to answer anything. The only thing he got was a 'you'll see soon enough'. What did he mean by that? Jetfire wasn't sure, but he'd have to trust his commander's words.

He was about to continue on with his pacing when the door opened up and he felt his voice catch into his throat. Standing before him was a sky blue and yellow femme. He'd expected to get a mech, but this was very unpredictable. He stood up straight and cleared his throat. "I take it that you're our new recruit?" he asked.

The femme looked a little confused until she smiled and nodded. "Yes, I'm guessing Optimus told you who I am?" she asked. Jetfire shook his head, making the femme smile even more. "No? Then I guess I'll have to introduce myself," she said as she took a step towards him.

Jetfire looked a little confused until she was right in front of him, her silver optics gazed into his golden ones, as though they were trying to read his facial expressions like a book, but then they frowned a little. "Something tells me that we've met before... have we? Because you look really familiar."

The femme smiled as she took a step back. "Maybe we have... old friend," she said as Jetfire noticed that her right leg looked a little unsteady. Without warning, her leg gave away and she fell towards the floor, but Jetfire's quick thinking of reaching out to grab her, saved her from hurting her skid-plate.

Jetfire stood her back up, but the moment his fingers accidentally brushed against her thigh, her cheeks flushed red. He frowned and lifted an optic ridge. "Wait a microsecond," he said and he took a closer look at her face. "Juliet?" he asked, his voice nearly stuttering.

"Aw, slag, you spoilt my surprise!" the femme growled as Jetfire released her wrists. He then laughed and brought her into a surprising hug, but he failed to notice that someone was watching them. "Alright, Jetfire, take it easy, I wasn't gone that long, you know?" Juliet hissed.

"I'm sorry, Juliet, it's just that I've been wondering for nearly a month on what happened and a lot of other things! I've been so worried. What happened?" he asked as he let go of her and gazed into her silver optics.

"It's a little hard to explain, but Red Alert told me that my injuries wouldn't stop bleeding, and they wouldn't heal. So he did what he thought was necessary. By turning me into a Transformer," Juliet explained.

"Are you... glad of this?" Jetfire asked.

"Yeah, I'm really grateful, I'm glad Red Alert cheated death for me, otherwise I wouldn't be standing here right now to tell you of a success story."

"We should go tell the others, especially Hot Shot and Sideswipe, they should know at once," Jetfire started to say, but Juliet shook her head. "Why not?"

"They already know. I just left you at the bottom of my list for the fun of it."

"You're kidding, right?"

"No, I am not."

"You little sneak!"

Juliet sniggered until Jetfire shook his head. He was about to say something else when the alarms started to blare into life. He sighed quietly and he smiled at her from behind his mask. "Guess that's our next Minicon, come on, we've got a battle to win!" He then turned and ran out the door with Juliet hot on his heels.

* * *

When they reached the Control Room, they were out of breath due to Juliet becoming unsteady a couple of times because of not being used to running in her new body. But Jetfire helped her steady herself easily and they'd made it. She was greeted with a stare from Blurr and Scavenger until Optimus cleared his throat. "I take it that everything went well, Jetfire?" he asked.

"You bet it did, in fact I've never felt this much better since Juliet told me she was reborn as a Transformer," Jetfire answered and winked at his commander, who chuckled as Blurr and Scavenger dropped their jaws.

"You've got to be kidding me?" said Blurr as he looked at Juliet. The new femme laughed and playfully punched Jetfire in the shoulder, who rubbed it a little and sniggered. "Well, what a surprise you've just given me."

"I'll say," said Scavenger, who nodded in agreement.

"So, where's the Minicon?" Hot Shot asked.

"In China," Red Alert answered as Rad, Carlos, and Alexis arrived with their Minicon partners. The kids looked up at Juliet, confused and wondering who the hell she was until Red Alert cleared his throat. "Kids, meet Juliet."

They gasped in surprise and started firing questions until Optimus silenced them. "You can have your questions answered, but not now. We have a Minicon to rescue," he said.

"In that case, can I come with you?" Juliet asked, her silver optics seemed to turn puppy dog like as she begged her adoptive father. "Please, Optimus? I promise I won't get in the way, I might learn a thing or two about fighting!"

"Optimus, that's madness! We can't send a rookie into battle with us, and plus she's still trying to get used to her new body! What if a Decepticon tries to capture her?" Scavenger asked, his voice angry and worried.

"Please?" Juliet begged once more.

Optimus Prime seemed to think about for a moment. He didn't like it, but if Juliet insisted on wanting to learn a few things about fighting, and promised that she wouldn't get in the way, then he might consider it. "Well... alright, but as long as you stick close to us. If things get really ugly, then I suggest that you get out of there as soon as possible, I don't want you to get hurt again," he said. He just hoped that he wasn't making a grave mistake.

"What?!" Scavenger cried.

"Oh thank you! You won't regret this, Optimus! I promise!" Juliet cried as she leapt forward and hugged him tightly.

"Alright, alright, no need to go all huggable in front of us, let's just get going," Hot Shot said as he laughed and he tugged Juliet on the arm, getting her attention. She beamed in excitement as Optimus shook his head and Scavenger frowned in annoyance.

"Alright, let's get ready to go through the bridge," Optimus called as he, the other Autobots, Juliet, and the kids headed down the lift and into the Space Bridge room. They then launched through it without a second's hesitation, getting ready to fight any Decepticons that might get in their way.

* * *

**Spiritimus Prime: Alright guys, Juliet's first mission is about to begin, so stay tunned until the next chapter! I'll be up soon, but not now. :P See ya!**


	7. A New Minicon Partner

**Spiritimus Prime: Finally, next chapter's here and we're having our final weekend before the holidays start, which is in about five school days after Sunday. And plus, I'm going to be taking a TABs test that will be starting soon. I'm so excited on getting into TAFE if I pass this and I'm getting so close to achieving my dream of being a Library Assistant! XD Enjoy this chapter of Juliet's first mission as a Transformer! :D**

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Chapter 7:

**A New Minicon Partner**

Juliet's body was tingling with excitement as she and the other Autobots landed on the other side of their destination. She glanced around at their surroundings. There was nothing but an open meadow with little trees. She grinned at the fine beauty of the wavy grass as a gentle breeze blew across the meadow. If she was still human, then the hairs on her skin would rise at the cold, giving her the goose bumps if it was possible. But to her surprise, the wind didn't even bother her by even the slightest angle, and it amused her really.

Turning her head behind her, Juliet's silver optics spotted something in the far distance. She couldn't make it out fully, but the moment she zoomed in on it, she was amazed to see that it was a herd of wild horses. Their coats were gleaming with life and they almost appeared to be shimmering in the sunlight. It amazed her at how beautiful they were, including how healthy they appeared to be. She didn't notice that Jetfire was right beside her until he cleared his throat. "Beautiful isn't it?" he asked.

Juliet jumped a little and she turned and looked back at Jetfire. "You scared, Jets, don't do that," she growled lightly, earning a laugh from the shuttle mech.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to do that. But you've got to admit it that this place is beautiful, even those animals are shining with life," Jetfire said as Juliet continued to gaze at the herd of beautiful horses.

"Yeah," Juliet agreed as she nodded.

Optimus Prime got everyone's attention with a little laugh. "Alright, everyone, enough with the sightseeing, we can do that after we obtain the Minicon," he said. Everyone nodded in agreement before Optimus began to assemble them into teams. "Jetfire and Juliet will come with me. Blurr will go with Hot Shot and the kids, Sideswipe with Smokescreen and Scavenger. Now spread out and search for the Minicon."

Everyone nodded once more before they went into their set groups and they went their separate ways.

* * *

"I'll have to admit it, Juliet, this place is extremely fascinating," said Optimus Prime as he, Juliet, and Jetfire approached some pine trees that were on the edge of the meadow.

Juliet smiled. "Maybe the humans made this as a reserve so that the animals and plants can be protected by the… government," she suggested.

"Perhaps, though I have a distinct feeling that some humans refuse to obey that law and still come here to kill the wildlife that dwell here," Optimus said as he spotted a doe and a fawn drinking at a little pool. "It amazes me so much that animals care for their young."

"Come to think about it, why do some animals eat their own young?" Jetfire asked curiously as he looked at Juliet.

"Not sure, guess its just nature's law," Juliet said quietly before she sighed.

"Let's not worry about that now. We should be almost there," Optimus reassured gently.

The three continued to wonder about until Optimus' com-link went off. "Prime here, go ahead."

"We're being attacked by Decepticon forces here, but Starscream and Demolisher aren't here, including Megatron!" Hot Shot's voice cried frantically.

"Sit tight, Hot Shot, we're on our way." Optimus turned his com-link off and he turned to Juliet, who was watching him. "Juliet, I want you to continue to look for the Minicon while Jetfire and I go and help Hot Shot and Blurr."

"But…" Juliet started to say but she was halted abruptly by Optimus' warning stare.

"You promised that you'd do as you were told if things got out of control. As a member of the Autobots and my daughter, Juliet, I advise that you listen to me extremely carefully. Follow my orders!" Optimus ordered. He didn't want to be too aggressive towards Juliet, but it was the only way for him to get the message across.

Juliet sighed in defeat before she nodded. "Alright, but I know that I can handle myself," she hissed as she frowned before she turned and walked away, leaving Optimus Prime and Jetfire to just stare at her retreating back.

Jetfire turned to Optimus. "Come on, we should get going," he said softly.

Optimus Prime nodded in agreement before he and Jetfire combined to form Jet Optimus and they took off into the sky to go and help Hot Shot and Blurr. But they failed to notice a red and silver seeker jet following quietly behind Juliet's trail.

* * *

"Now if I was a Minicon, where would I be?" Juliet wondered as she looked amongst the pine trees for anything shinning green that would be wedged in their trunks. She was a little disappointed that Optimus refused to allow her to go with him and Jetfire to help Hot Shot and Blurr, but there was nothing she could do. It pained her deeply at her hurt pride, but an order was an order. Optimus Prime maybe her adopted father, but that still meant that he would treat her like a solider.

Juliet sighed as she looked in random places, like under a rock or amongst the trees. She climbed up a small ledge until she was on flat ground and looked about. She still couldn't see a glowing panel, and she was getting very annoyed to the core of her Spark. Clenching her hands into fists, her lips pulled back into a growl and she prepared to leap down when she stopped when her silver optics laid on something shinning in a rock.

Biting back a squeal of joy, Juliet ran up to it and felt around to make sure that it wasn't a fake. The panel glowed even brighter and a big grin appeared on her face. Placing both hands on the panel she pulled, but it didn't budge. Frowning, she tried again, but nothing happened. In her frustration, she threw a fist into a tree, accidentally knocking it over. A look of shock crossed her face when she realised her mistake. "What have I done?" she asked herself.

She continued to just stand there in shock until she pulled herself together. She knew that if she continued to mope about something she accidentally did, then what point was there for her to be an Autobot? Lifting a fist, she threw a punch at the rock, putting a slight crack on it. It would do, but if she was to get the Minicon free, she would have to keep up with this act. Throwing another punch in the weakening crack, Juliet took a step back and gazed at her work, looks like it was going to be a success after all.

Taking a deep breath, Juliet threw one more punch before the rock crumbled to many pieces and the Minicon panel sat onto of the rocks, shining with life and glowing brighter as she drew nearer to get a better look at it. She was about to pick it up when she felt something touch her right shoulder and a raspy voice spoke in a cruel manner. "Do not move."

Juliet instantly froze on instinct. She felt her body tremble slightly, but nothing could compare the utter fear that she was feeling in her system. If she had adrenaline glands in her body, then a huge amount of energy would be bursting with boundless energy to fight or flight. She turned her head and noticed a silver flat blade lying on her shoulder. Its flat side was giving off her reflection as she saw her face gazing back at her with terror. She then turned her head behind her and saw a red and silver mech that she'd never seen before. But she remembered Optimus Prime telling her about a certain mech in this kind of detail. Was his name Starwhine, Starshriek, or Starscream? That's it! His name was Starscream, one of Megatron's fiercest warriors amongst his ranks!

Starscream motioned his head towards Juliet and the Minicon panel in front of her. "Hand me that Minicon and you might live," he hissed.

Juliet let off a tiny whimper and she carefully picked up the panel. Her body continued to tremble slightly, but she dared to not show her fear in front of the Second in Command of the Decepticons. But as she picked up the panel, it glowed even brighter, forcing her to drop it in surprise and Starscream tried to grab it, but Juliet shoved him out of the way without a second thought and he fell to the ground, watching in awe as Juliet quickly picked up the Minicon and made a run for it.

* * *

When Jet Optimus arrived on the scene where Hot Shot and Blurr were almost getting pounded by the Decepticons, he was shocked to see that the yellow mech had been right. Megatron, Starscream, and Demolisher were nowhere to be seen. It was like as if they'd vanished into thin air without a trace. This concerned him greatly, but whatever was going on, it must have something to do with the Minicon.

The combined mech landed on the ground and pulled out his blaster, taking careful aim at Cyclonus before he pulled the trigger, hitting the insane bot in the cockpit before he plummeted towards the ground and landed in a huddled heap. Jetfire's very emotions of getting revenge had clouded Optimus for a moment, but then the Autobot Commander had regained control and had concentrated his fire on Wheeljack and then Thrust and Tidalwave.

Everything seemed to go into a blur as red and purple shots mixed together and then silence rang through the meadow. Optimus couldn't believe how much damage had been caused, but no trees had been set alight, and that was a good thing, though some of the grass was on fire, Hot Shot and Blurr easily put them out by stamping on them.

"Good work, you two," Jet Optimus praised.

Hot Shot and Blurr nodded their thanks and saluted, but then a terrified scream echoed across the meadow. Panic seized control over the Autobot Commander as one word escaped his lips. "Juliet." Without a moment to spare, Jet Optimus took to the skies as Jetfire took control once again, while Hot Shot and Blurr raced after them as fast as they could in their alt modes.

* * *

Juliet, who was still clutching the Minicon panel, was cornered by the Decepticon Commander, Megatron. Her body trembled in fear as she tried to work out a way to escape this enemy that caused her to lose her memories in the first place. The one Transformer who'd ruined her life the day he'd shot down the blue Toyota.

Starscream and Demolisher stood on each side of their commander, watching as Juliet trembled in fear. She bit her bottom lip to swallow her fear, but she could hardly breathe and hadn't noticed her oxygen tanks had constricted tightly in her fear as the need to fight or flee pulsed through her systems. Her desperation to escape was undeniable and she wanted nothing more than to get away from the enemy that stood before her.

Megatron held out a hand towards her and she flinched. "Give me the Minicon, femme, and you'll live to be my empress," he purred as he drew a little closer and Juliet pressed her back even further against the cool rock that touched her metallic skin.

"I'll never give you the Minicon!" Juliet growled as she pressed the panel further against her chest. She would never surrender the Minicon to Megatron, not in a million years.

Megatron lifted a finger and waved it dismissively. "Now, now, we won't have you denying me now, won't we," he laughed as he stood right in front of Juliet and he crouched low until he was levelled with her optic sight. He then lifted a hand and roughly stroked her calf, making her wince as his clawed fingers fiddled with her metal skin.

Juliet then let off another scream of fear and then the next instant, something big and fast flew straight for Megatron and tackled him hard, forcing Starscream and Demolisher to move out of the way as both mechs collided together. Trees crashed in the wake of the forceful tackle and Megatron landed on his back as Jet Optimus let go of him.

The Autobot Commander landed several feet away from Megatron and he turned to face the Decepticon Commander, the rage and fury growing ever more as he stared at his arch nemesis. Never had Megatron, in his long career, had he seen that much emotion inside the red optics of the combined shuttle and semi truck mechs. It just didn't make much sense at all. Unless... unless one of them felt something towards the fine femme. It must be either Optimus Prime, or Jetfire, that would feel that much emotion and that determination was what burned angrily inside the mind of one of them.

"You will leave her alone, Megatron, the next time you try to touch her, then your life will be over before you even know it!" Jet Optimus snarled as his yellow hands clenched into fists that balled with incredible force. To Megatron's surprise, he saw Energon dripping from the balled up hands.

Megatron was about to make a comeback when the cries of Starscream and Demolisher sounded. He frowned and saw Hot Shot and Blurr pointing their guns at the two failures while the blue and yellow femme continued to look on with fear as she unclenched her hands a little, but kept a weary eye out for anyone that might dare to try and take the panel from her.

Then a bright light escaped from the Minicon panel and everyone jumped back in surprise. The panel hovered in front of Juliet for a moment and she carefully held out a hand as the panel flew into her hand and finished forming. A little robot stood in the middle of her hand. It was blue and silver with a red visor covering its optics and a faceplate as well. It even had a 'V' shaped crest in the middle of its forehead and a blue head that was shaped like Optimus'. Juliet smiled as the Minicon beeped up at her, saying words that only she could understand.

_"Hello, I am Sonicburst,"_ the little Minicon beeped happily.

"I'm Juliet, it's nice to meet you, Sonicburst," Juliet said as she lifted a finger and gently rubbed Sonicburst's head and he smiled behind his faceplate. A loud roar sounded off from in front of them and they saw Megatron howling in anger as he pointed his cannon at them. By instinct, Juliet grabbed Sonicburst and wrapped her arms around him, shielding him from any danger that the Decepticon Commander might inflict, but the shot never came. They looked up and saw a shocking sight.

Jet Optimus had come out of nowhere and had swiftly laid a punch in Megatron's abdomen with enough force to send the evil Decepticon stumbling back, gasping and gurgling as he tried to get a breath. He clutched his midsection and stared at the Autobot Commander in amazement and fury. There was defiantly something in those optics that would make anyone cower in fear.

When the Decepticon Tyrant had taken a few steps away from Jet Optimus, still gasping, but anger and hatred were now reflecting in his blood red optics. "Curse you…, Optimus Prime!" he spat. "Someday… I will have that femme! You will see! Decepticons retreat!" he cried as he vanished and Starscream and Demolisher followed in suit.

Jet Optimus sighed as he stood up straight and split back into Optimus Prime and Jetfire. The two then rushed over to Juliet as Blurr and Hot Shot hung back to keep an optic out for anymore Decepticons that might've lagged behind to try and hurt Juliet or take away her new Minicon partner. But there was no need, they'd gone anyway.

When Optimus and Jetfire approached Juliet, she looked up and showed them Sonicburst. "What do you think of him?" she asked. Sonicburst beeped a greeting and waved a hand towards the two officers.

"I think he's fantastic," said Optimus, chuckling.

Jetfire just frowned. He was too busy trying to deal with his emotions on what had happened while he and Optimus had been combined as Jet Optimus. He couldn't believe that he'd allowed himself to take control over Jet Optimus and shoot down Cyclonus and then punch Megatron in the midsection. It had shocked him greatly and he hadn't noticed he'd done it until the action had commenced. But now that the battle was over and Megatron had declared that he would capture Juliet someday, it made him feel even more protective of her than ever. He clenched his hands into fists, trying to steady himself and keep his emotions in tact.

"Jetfire, are you okay?"

The Second in Command of the Autobots looked from his thoughts and saw Juliet and Optimus standing up and looking at him closely. Juliet couldn't read his face, but Optimus had known what his thoughts were. After all, they did become one being.

"I'm fine," the shuttle mech answered with a smile. "I was just dazed for a moment. So what did I miss?"

"Optimus said that he was going to get Scavenger to train me up to defend myself in case you or he couldn't reach me in time. It might not be much, but it will keep those Decepticons at bay until back up arrives. Don't you agree with that?" Juliet asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Er… yeah, I think it's an excellent idea. It'll protect you in case we won't be there to protect you. And you need to pick out an alt mode as well," said Jetfire as he beamed.

"Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about that," Juliet laughed as she looked at Optimus. "I can transform into two things, can't I?"

"Red Alert hasn't told me exactly what you're capable of, but if he hasn't, then he can give you the ability to become a triple changer. How does that sound?" Optimus asked.

"That would be great!"

"We should get back to the others, they might be wondering where we are," said Hot Shot, halting their conversation.

Optimus Prime nodded in agreement. "Affirmative, Hot Shot. Send our coordinates to the others and we'll meet them at the edge of the forest."

"Yes, sir," the yellow mech said with a nod and he did as he was told. When he was done, he gave the signal to them that the others would see them as soon as they got out of the forest. Without a moment to spare, the group turned and headed in the direction of the edge of the forest.

* * *

When they reached their destination, they were relieved to see that none of their friends, including the kids, had gotten hurt. Juliet placed Sonicburst on the ground and the other Minicons surrounded him and hugged like as if they were family members who hadn't seen each other in a long time. Everyone chuckled at this as Optimus gave the order to launch back home.

* * *

When they returned and walked out into the Control Room, Optimus Prime turned to Scavenger and whispered to his old mentor, "I'm giving you permission to train Juliet. She was attacked by Megatron and he tried to take her for himself. She needs to learn how to hold her own until back up arrives in time. But first, Red Alert and I are going to give her an alt mode, maybe two, if Red Alert granted her to have triple changing abilities."

Scavenger nodded his understanding. He knew Optimus was extremely protective of Juliet, but not as protective as Jetfire, who watched Juliet out of the corner of his optics. He also knew that the shuttle mech had a crush on Juliet and would admit his feelings for her soon, but he just hoped that it would be soon before something might happen. "Very well, Optimus. I'll let her rest up for now, but once she recovers, training will begin."

"Thank-you, old friend," Optimus said with a nod and he approached Juliet. "Ready for your alt mode choice?" he asked her.

Juliet beamed in happiness. "You bet!" she cried.

Optimus motioned her to follow him and Red Alert and she followed without a second's hesitation. Jetfire wanted to come but Scavenger shook his head. His body language indicated that this was Juliet's journey, not his… yet.

* * *

**Spiritimus Prime: Sorry that I've given you another cliffhanger, but I'm still working what kind of alt modes I would give Juliet. I was thinking about giving her a Wedge-Tailed Eagle and a Tiger, but it's still a little difficult to chose. Sorry Hydrowing, but an SR-71 Blackbird would make Juliet too big... and I don't want her to be massive because she might end up the same size as Tidalwave, and I don't want that. I like animals better, but a different jet might be better than a Wedge-Tailed Eagle. If you know what I'm getting at. Anyway, later guys!**


	8. Alt Mode Choices and Training

**Spiritimus Prime: Erm... I wasn't quite satisfied with the choices that you guys gave me. The F-22 is far too... boring for my taste, so I decided to stick with my own choice for a triple changer. I know it might seem a little odd having animals, but I prefer them than vehicles becuase I understand them better than just vehicles and stuff like that. Anyway, enough about my rambling, on with the story!**

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Chapter 8:

**Alt Mode Choices and Training**

When Juliet and Optimus Prime arrived in the Med-Bay, they were greeted by Red Alert, who watched Juliet carefully from behind his red visor. When he saw no signs of injuries from the ex-human he had the feeling that medical attention was not what they were seeking. Standing up after doing his work, he polished his hand before approaching the two and waited for the Autobot Commander to speak.

Optimus Prime sighed, probably having a feeling on what Red Alert's guess was going to be. "I have a feeling you know why we're here, but I'll say it anyway in case I could be wrong. We're hoping to give Juliet her alt mode choices. But before we begin, Juliet would like to ask if she is capable of being a triple changer," he said as he cleared his throat.

Juliet nodded.

Red Alert thought about it for a moment, trying to figure out if he had or not. Finally, he smiled and nodded. "Yes I have," he said. This seemed to please Juliet as she beamed in excitement. "Well then," said the CMO. "Shall we get started?" Juliet and Optimus Prime nodded and Red Alert motioned the two to follow him into a room.

* * *

When they walked into the room, Juliet could see an odd looking stand that was similar to that of where the kids stood on to acquire their suits. There was also some kind of circle above the stand and she guessed that a hologram was produced from it. Red Alert motioned the young femme towards the stand and she obeyed without a hesitation. Optimus Prime stood next to her, keeping his optics focused on her so that if she needed anything, he would be right there to support her if she required it.

"Now once I press this button, a hologram will be produced from it and you'll see things that we won't. Do not be afraid of what you see, Juliet, for it is not real, but to the touch, it will be. A small command device will drop down and all you have to do is search through, pick your alternative forms, and press the red button on the side of it and it'll do the rest." He waited for this to sink into Juliet's CPU and he nodded once more. "Ready?"

Juliet nodded nervously.

"Good luck, Juliet, for once you've made your choice, that's final." With that said, Red Alert pressed the button and the hologram engulfed Juliet.

Juliet had expected this to happen, but she still jumped when the hologram surrounded itself around her. Taking a deep breath as the command device dropped down, she typed in the commands and the lights played around in her optics as she focused on what she wanted to choose.

_I… don't think a vehicle will do, they're too noisy and are not my taste. What about… an animal and a bird? I do seem to like nature, and of course, I would like to be a little more different compared to the others, _Juliet thought as she grinned to herself at the thought of her choices. _Optimus did say that my accident occurred in Australia, so maybe I should chose a bird from that region? _Pleased with the thought, Juliet searched on the computer, searching for any interesting birds, but the parrots did not suit to her liking, so she searched the birds or prey. After all, they had strong talons, and had big wings. _What was that really large one called again…? A Wedge-Tailed Eagle was it? _She looked it up and her smile grew even bigger when she saw the magnificent bird flying in the hologram sky. _That will do. _Selecting the bird, and then moving on to her second choice, Juliet began to search for any land animals that might be powerful and frightening. It probably seemed like an hour until she found the one she was looking for: a tigress.

"Now… what do I do? Oh that's right!" Juliet giggled as she pressed the command device and it shot up back into the ceiling and the hologram faded.

Once the hologram was gone, another machine dropped out the ceiling. It was shaped like a ring, but then a second one followed after it and they swirled around her like Saturn's rings spinning around it. She lifted an optic ridge in confusion as the rings spun around her faster and faster as she felt the changes occurring. The next thing she knew, Juliet felt her body's temperature rising and falling for a second as the rings' lights engulfed her and her sight brightened for a moment until she felt the temperature drop rapidly and then the rings went back into the ceiling.

Pleased that the machine was gone, Juliet stepped off the stand and looked towards the two mechs. "Well, what do you think?" she asked, her grin getting bigger than before.

"Interesting forms, Juliet, the first choice seems to fit you because of how you once came from Australia, having an alt form from that region will remind you where you came from. As for second one, that is something I've never even seen before. Quite an interesting animal," Optimus Prime praised.

Juliet had the wings of the eagle on her shoulders and the tail feathers attached to her skid-plate while she had the talons of the bird on her knees, and its head laid against her back upside down, an indication that it would fold over her head like a hood. Her hands and feet held the tigress's paws while its head was attached to her chest, and its tail was hidden underneath the tail feathers of the eagle. Her arms and legs were covered in black stripes and she had fur covering her back including the outsides of her arms and legs.

Red Alert nodded in agreement. "Yes, it makes you stand out more, and plus, Jetfire has always wanted another flyer on the team," he said.

"Well, I did think about him while I was selecting my first choice, so the eagle came into my mind, and plus, I do like to fly and all," said Juliet as she looked over her shoulders to get a good look at her wings, she felt a sense of pride swelling through her and she looked back at Optimus Prime and Red Alert. They chuckled and shook their heads.

"Can I go show the others?" Juliet asked.

"I don't see why not. After all, the walking will help you grow accustomed to the extra weight on your body," Red Alert said as he smiled a little and stood up from sitting down at the machine.

Optimus Prime nodded in agreement before he motioned Juliet to follow him. "Jetfire has been a bit of a worrywart lately. He's been acting up and been begging Scavenger to let him go and see you. I do not see what all the fuss is about on seeing you, but I think he's just worried. I've seen him worried before, but never like this."

"Think I should knock some sense into him?" Juliet asked, grinning like a fool.

"I think you should if you show up in front of him. A good hit to the head is something that he really needs, but I think I might know his reason for acting up like this."

"Who cares, I just want to give him a good hit to the head!" And before Optimus Prime could stop her, Juliet had charged out the door laughing in excitement and the Autobot Commander shook his head.

"Let's hope," he said, "Scavenger can keep her under control when she feels this jittery."

"Don't worry, Optimus. Once she settles down with her new forms and gets into training, she'll be less reckless and… determined than she is now," said Red Alert gently.

"I hope you're right, Red Alert."

* * *

"Jetfire, if I see you pace up and down in front of me like that again, then I'll use my arm to knock some sense into you!" Smokescreen growled as Jetfire paced about in the Rec. Room. The Second in Command of the Autobots had not stopped pacing since Juliet had gone off with Optimus Prime to choose her alt form. But the more he did it in front of the crane mech, the more annoyed he became.

Jetfire was about to throw a smart retort at the crane mech when someone cleared their throat and the two both turned to see Juliet standing in the doorway with a big grin on her face. "Missed me, guys?" she asked.

Jetfire's jaw dropped from behind his golden mask at the sight of the femme. He looked at her wings, and paws and then at her silver optics. "Wow, you… you look great, Juliet. I never expected you to be a triple changer!" he spluttered.

Juliet giggled and looked at Smokescreen. "Hey, Smokey," she teased and waved at him.

The large mech chuckled and waved back. "You have quite a taste, Juliet," he said with amusement as he looked her up and down, not noticing Jetfire's glare of jealousy as the SIC's hands clenched into fists. _Is Smokescreen taking a liking towards the femme I like? _Jetfire thought bitterly.

But he proved himself wrong when Smokescreen gave a nod. "You'll fit in great amongst us. Though I'm wondering, have you shown the others yet?" he asked.

Juliet shook her head. "Nah, I think I'll conceal myself for a while," she said.

"That won't be needed with me, Juliet."

All three Autobots jumped at the voice and they turned to see Scavenger leaning on the doorway with his arms folded across his chest. His golden optics were not focused on them but they could tell he was looking at them from the corners. When he lit them up, he turned his head to look at them, and then they swiftly darted on to Juliet. "Did Optimus Prime tell you about your training?" he asked.

Juliet shook her head.

"I thought not, you rushed off before he could tell you. We will begin training in two days. That is the amount of time I will give you so that you can adjust to your alternate forms." He looked her up and down, studying her features. "You've made excellent choices."

Juliet shrugged, not liking the idea of Scavenger training her. "Why can't Jetfire train me?" she asked.

"Yeah, why not, Scavey?" Jetfire protested.

"Because you will distract her," Scavenger answered simply as he took his shoulder off the wall. "And we cannot afford to have distractions." Without another word, the old warrior turned and walked away, leaving Juliet to roll her optics and stick out her tongue at his back. "And I'll make sure that you're disciplined as well!" Scavenger called, making Juliet jump in surprise.

"How did he know I did that?" the young femme cried.

"Don't know how he does that, but it bothers me when he says things like that," said Smokescreen as he fiddled around with his hook.

"Ah, what can any of us do about it? That guy can be a pain in the neck, but he isn't a fool when it comes to training. After all, he did train Optimus Prime back then," Jetfire said as he shook his head and sighed, earning a look from Juliet.

"He was the one who made Optimus who he is today?" she asked.

"To put it simple... yes he did."

"Come on, enough with our rambling, let's go find Hot Shot and have some fun," Smokescreen teased as he walked off, leaving Juliet and Jetfire to sigh and look at each other for a moment. They didn't say anything to one another, but Jetfire looked like something had got caught in his throat and he was having trouble spitting it out. Still, nothing was said at all and Juliet sighed quietly as she turned and walked off, following Smokescreen while Jetfire's arms shook in annoyance. He's just about told her how he felt when he'd felt his voice block itself. Why can't he summon the courage to tell her?

He growled and decided to tell her later if he caught her alone. He was getting sick and tired of interruptions, but with enough time and patience, he might just be able to tell her how he felt. With his decision made, Jetfire took off after Smokescreen and Juliet.

* * *

"_So this is the new you?" _Sonicburst beeped as he looked Juliet up and down as she, Smokescreen and Jetfire walked into the Control Room. He was greatly impressed by her choices, and he couldn't have asked for a better partner. _"Do you regret your choice?" _

"Not at all, Sonic," Juliet replied as she shook her head and gently picked her Minicon partner and placed him on her shoulder. "Besides, I think having animal alt modes makes it better because I like to feel different, and plus, none of the others have them." She then winked and Sonicburst chuckled.

"So, Scavenger has decided to train you as well?"

Juliet looked over her shoulder and saw Hot Shot approaching her as he stood on her right side. "Wow, you've got animal alt modes, huh? Being a vehicle would've been much better, but I can't change your taste for nature," he said as he grinned goofily.

Juliet giggled and shook her head. She flexed her wings a little and even twitched her pawed hands. She wondered what she would like if she transformed right here, and right now. It made her excited and she wanted to try it at once! But she didn't dare do it in case she might make a mistake and hurt herself in the process.

* * *

A couple of days later, after spending time with Jetfire and causing a little trouble along the way, but all the while, the two had never felt any closer than they already were and Jetfire continued to ponder on when he should tell Juliet about his feelings for her. But despite his feelings, Jetfire continued to wait, including taking the advice from Optimus Prime on waiting until he felt the moment was right.

The moment Juliet walked into the Training Room, she was greeted by the old warrior and she studied his body carefully. He was making no threatening body postures, and he was keeping his arms crossed over his chest, a sheer sign of, either, boredom or secrecy. It didn't matter about the posture, but Juliet could easily read his facial expression, but the old warrior instantly hid his face by putting on a stern look. He unfolded his arms and stared at Juliet.

"So, you've come at last. Try not to be late next time. Otherwise I will not let you off this time. Clear?" he growled, hiding his annoyance.

Juliet rolled her optics and sighed. "Yes, sir," she groaned.

Scavenger just rolled his optics as well. "We will begin by doing the basics of training. I would suggest that we start off with a warm up, but I believe that you're a little impatient to get on to fighting and transforming. So we will begin by starting with kicking and punching and then some Metallikato, then, we will move on to transforming to alternate forms, but that will be later on. Now, try and knock me down."

Juliet seemed a little unsure of what to do, but after seeing some of the battles that her friends and Optimus Prime had with the Decepticons, she felt a little more confident on trying to think of how they moved and what they did during the outcomes of the battle. Getting into a position that Optimus Prime would do before making a move, she clenched her leg muscle cables and then charged directly at the old warrior.

Scavenger instantly leapt aside, but Juliet had half expected that attempt, and she managed to pivot neatly on her pawed feet and instantly lash out with her clawed fingers and dug them into Scavenger's side. She heard a howl of pain and she let go quickly when she realised that she'd caused too much damage and landed on her pawed feet some distance away.

Scavenger managed to turn and face her, holding his side carefully with a hand. Anger seemed to show in his golden optics and Juliet looked away, for fear of making him even angrier than he already was. The moment she looked away, he let off a chuckle that surprised her and she looked back at him.

"You're not angry at me?" she asked.

"You surprised me, Julie. No one's ever been able to make such a move upon me, not even Optimus did that," said Scavenger as he let go of his side and the Energon seemed to drip less.

"I still apologise for that attack, Scavenger. I'll try to be more careful next time."

"That you will, Juliet. Now, let us move on to our next step of training."

For half the morning, Juliet and Scavenger continued to practise Metallikato and several times Juliet almost succeeded in bringing down the old warrior and many times she failed in besting him, but Scavenger was pleased with her quick learning and determination to beat him. It was much better than Hot Shot's own determination, and the old warrior couldn't have asked for a better student. But when they were drawing towards the end of the training, Scavenger turned to Juliet and said, "Well, I think it's time that we move on to transforming, since you're doing well in your hand to hand combat."

Juliet beamed in excitement. "You mean it?" she cried.

"Every bit of it, Juliet," the old warrior replied.

Juliet didn't jump up and down like Scavenger had predicted. Instead, she just nodded and smiled before standing up and heading towards the middle of the Training Room. Scavenger followed in suit and he stood on the opposite side of her. "Alright, I'll try and make this as simple as I can, so all you have to do is think about what you want to transform into and then say the word 'transform'."

Juliet nodded once more before she closed her optics. She wasn't sure what she wanted to start off with, but then smiled a little as she thought of her tigress form. It was far more intriguing and she wanted to give the old warrior a scare. Taking a deep breath as she thought of her transformation, she cried out, "Transform!"

She couldn't remember exactly what happened next, but she felt her body shift about and her wings felt like they were tucking into her body, but she thought of them sitting on her shoulders and she knew that they had stayed in place. When she opened her optics again, she saw that she was almost levelled with the ground and that she was looking up at Scavenger instead of being up to his chin in her actual height.

"Wow," she beamed excitedly, nearly bouncing up and down like an exited puppy.

Scavenger chuckled as Juliet turned around in a full circle, trying to get a good look at herself. So far, the only thing she could view was her sides, wings, and tail. It seemed to her that she was covered in fur, but it was really metal that just acted like fur. She was surprised at how soft and gentle it felt when she touched it with her paws. She smiled to herself as she pulled her claws out of her paws and dug them into the floor of the Training Room. It felt good and welcoming to extend them, and even the feeling of wanting to sink them into something felt good as well. She closed her optics, picturing herself leaping on a Decepticon and using her paws to swipe at him or using her fierce teeth to hold onto his back and snap it in two like a stick.

"Well then, now that you know how to transform, that leaves us to end our training for today. To transform back into robot mode, just think about it, and you'll turn back," the old warrior advised.

Juliet nodded once more as she pictured her robot mode and she transformed back after saying the word 'transform'. Pleased with her success, she flexed out her hands and twitched her leg muscle cables once more. "Thanks, Scavenger, I feel a little more confident with myself," she said, nodding towards the old warrior.

"We're not done yet. My best estimations on how far you'll get before you'll be just as skilled as Hot Shot will be… two weeks. That's as far as I can tell," Scavenger said as he shook his head and snorted a little. "But it's good to see that you're getting a little confident in yourself. Keep that up and you'll go far." He then winked slightly. "Now go and get some rest, we'll continue this tomorrow, unless a Minicon doesn't show up."

Juliet nodded her thanks once more and she transformed to her tigress mode and walked out the room, eager to get to know her new alternate mode so that she could possibly use it for battle.

**

* * *

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Spiritimus Prime: Well, with alt modes out of the way, time to move on to the next part of the story. I know it seems odd that I would choose a Wedge-tailed Eagle, but obviously I reckon it was a good choice, especially when Juliet came from Australia. The second choice was a little harder, and I was thinking about a lioness, or maybe a panther or wolf, but the tigress proved to be what I wanted, and plus it's much fiercer than any of those animals. Sorry guys if you think I didn't like your ideas. Until the next chapter!


	9. Captured

**Spiritimus Prime: Well, here's the next chapter. Things are beginning to heat up in this story. XD And it's going to get even hotter, especially with this one. LOL! Enjoy!**

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* * *

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Chapter 9:

**Captured**

Two and a half weeks later, Juliet had gotten much better in her fighting abilities, and she had nearly beaten Scavenger on more than one occasion, but she had still failed to bring him down and he was getting rougher and rougher with her the better she got at fighting. Juliet continued to spend more and more time with Jetfire, and she slowly began to realise that something was beginning to develop between them, something that ran deeper than an underground river.

The unusual feeling for the shuttle mech was something Juliet couldn't describe, and she started to believe that maybe she was coming down with a sickness. Deciding to go see Red Alert, she headed down to the Med-Bay, not noticing that Optimus Prime had seen her odd behaviour and was following her a short distance to see for himself whether or not that she too was feeling something for Jetfire while the Vice Commander had as well.

Red Alert looked up from putting some of his tools away when he heard the door to the Med-Bay open and saw Juliet step through. "Is there something wrong, Juliet?" he asked, tilting his head to the side in slight confusion.

"I don't know what's wrong, Red. That's kind of the whole problem," Juliet replied as her feathered wings twitched in an unusual manner that Red Alert had never even seen before.

"Alright, just hop on the bed and I'll examine you to find the problem. In the meantime, just give tell me what the symptoms are while I do my job," Red Alert said, motioning toward the med-table.

Juliet nodded and sat down on the bed just as Optimus Prime walked into the room. "What's going on?" the Autobot Commander asked, his golden optics squinting a little into a frown.

"That's what I'm about to find out," Red Alert replied simply as he felt Juliet's throat, shoulders and chest.

Optimus nodded and he leaned on a wall with his arms folded across his chest, listening to Red Alert as he asked a few questions and Juliet described what she was feeling. Red Alert shrugged his shoulders when he was done and shook his head. "There's nothing wrong with you, Juliet. I can't seem to find anything that could be causing this discomfort that you're describing to me."

Optimus took his back of the wall and approached the two, looking from Red Alert to Juliet and then back at Red Alert again before he focused his optics on Juliet once more. "Juliet, do these odd feelings come when you're around a certain someone?" he asked.

Juliet thought about it for a minute until she nodded. "Yeah, I think so," she answered. "Why?"

"Exactly who is it that these feelings occur around?" Optimus asked, getting a stare from Red Alert as though he was asking mentally how Optimus Prime would know of such things without needing to be a doctor.

"I'm not sure. I think it's mostly around... Jetfire," Juliet answered as she bit her bottom lip to prevent herself from saying anymore. She looked up at her adoptive father and said, "Am I really sick, or is this normal to feel like this in Transformers?"

Optimus' shoulders shook for a moment and both Red Alert and Juliet heard the Autobot Commander laughing from behind his silver mask. It grew louder until Optimus shook his head as his laughter died down a little when he took a deep breath.

"I believe I fail to see the joke in all of this," Red Alert mumbled.

"I apologise to the both of you. What's funny about this is that there's nothing wrong with Juliet. There's actually something right about her," Optimus Prime said as he rubbed the bottom of his face plate.

"What do you mean?" Juliet asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"Isn't obvious that you're in love with Jetfire?" Optimus asked.

"I should've known that would happen." Red Alert muttered under his breath.

"Oh, so that's what it is," said Juliet.

"Indeed," Optimus replied as he turned his head down a notch, his golden optics looking into Juliet's silver ones as though he was trying to read her facial expressions, but somehow, he couldn't see a thing and his head lifted up a little.

"So what do I do now?" Juliet asked.

"Tell him how you feel," Red Alert said simply.

"It's not that simple, Red Alert. Jetfire may not feel the same about her and could reject her. It would be Sparkbreaking to see such a thing," Optimus explained gently, but in a stern tone, but he already knew that Jetfire felt something for the ex-human and he would do nothing to give that away until the Vice Commander would tell her himself.

"In that case, you might as well wait for him to make the first move. If he doesn't, then you will tell him, Juliet," Red Alert said.

"Yeah," Juliet replied as she nodded her head and hopped off the med-table. "I'm just going to my quarters. If anyone needs me, I'll be there or in the Training Room." With that said, the young femme turned and left the room.

Optimus Prime turned to Red Alert. "Good thing you didn't tell Juliet on Jetfire's own feelings, otherwise it could ruin everything for them," he said to his old friend.

Red Alert shrugged as the Minicon alarm blared into life. "Guess that's another queue then," he chuckled. Optimus also laughed as he and Red Alert headed for the Command Centre.

* * *

Juliet and Hot Shot were already in the Command Centre. The young femme was leaning on a wall at the back of the room with her arms folded across her chest while Hot Shot was standing by the giant computer. The kids were nowhere to be seen, which Optimus had to guess that it was a school day.

The rest of the other Autobots arrived in the Command Centre, but Jetfire was the last to enter. It puzzled Optimus as to why he was late, but he had the feeling that it had something to do with concerning his thoughts on how he was going to tell Juliet about his feelings for her. Maybe he might after this mission.

Juliet snuck a look towards the Vice Commander. She could tell from the look in his golden optics that he was thinking about something, but she didn't dare to push him about it. She was never the type to do such things, and even Optimus Prime hated to force things out of anyone. When Jetfire lifted his head and looked in Juliet's direction, Juliet quickly looked away towards Sonicblast as he climbed onto her shoulder so that Jetfire couldn't read what she'd been thinking.

"So where is the Minicon this time?" Scavenger asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"The signal's coming from Colorado," Red Alert replied as he looked up from his typing, his red visor glinting in light of the room.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go already!" Hot Shot cried.

"Brash brother," Juliet mumbled under her breath, earning a giggle from Sonicburst and a slight snigger from Blurr, who was standing next to the young femme.

Optimus Prime laughed a little at Hot Shot's eagerness, but made no attempt to hush him at all. "Alright, let's get to it," he said as he turned and walked away with the others following.

* * *

"Something about this mission just doesn't smell right," Juliet mumbled, who was in tigress form, as she sniffed the air.

"What do you mean?" Sideswipe asked curiously.

"I don't know, but I'm getting a tingle at the back of my head that's screaming 'trap'."

"We'll tread with great caution if that makes you feel better," said Optimus Prime as he walked up beside Juliet and looked down at her with his golden optics. She looked back at him with her own silver optics and nodded at him.

"What! Why are there more trees?!" Hot Shot cried as he ducked a pine tree's branch that nearly flung itself in his face after being pulled by Smokescreen.

"As Rad said, the Earth needs these trees to produce oxygen to help the organic creatures breathe. Now no more complaining, Hot Shot, alright?" Scavenger growled.

"Geez, sorry, Mr. Protective-of-the-planet," Hot Shot growled back.

"Come on, guys, settle down," Juliet said as she rolled her optics in annoyance, earning a chuckle from Optimus.

"Should we split into teams, sir?" Jetfire asked as he circled above the Autobots in shuttle form. The Vice Commander had been scouting the area for nearly five minutes and so far, nothing had come out of the ordinary. The Decepticons were nowhere to be seen either, and it worried Optimus to the core of his Spark.

"No, I think it would be best that we remain together, but you and Juliet will stick to the skies and keep an optic out for Decepticon activity," the Autobot Commander said as he looked up at Jetfire and then back at Juliet.

"Alright," the young femme said as she shifted to her Wedge-tailed Eagle form and took off until she was flying beside Jetfire and her right wing accidentally brushed itself against Jetfire's left wing, making the shuttle gasp in pleasure and spark electricity from his wing back to Juliet, whose optics widened in surprise at the sudden burst. "What was that?" she asked as the last trace of the excitable electricity left her systems.

"Erm... what are you talking about?" Jetfire asked, trying to hide the fact that he'd just overloaded when Juliet's feathers had touched his, extremely, sensitive wings. Didn't she have any idea how sensitive a flyer's wings were? Obviously not because of the way she was looking at him in confusion.

"Oh never mind," Juliet said with a shrug as she did a small barrel roll until she was underneath the shuttle's belly, the feathers on her back and wings rustling in the wind.

Jetfire tried to prevent himself from becoming lost in Juliet's grace and beauty, but the more she stayed under him, the more difficult it became for him to hold back his desperation to touch her wings with his own.

But before the Vice Commander could say anything else, a blast exploded from behind the two fliers and they came to an abrupt halt, hovering in mid-air as they paused to listen to where the explosion had come from.

Juliet used her binocular vision to zoom in on the smoke that was escaping the forest and she screeched in horror. "It's the Decepticons!" she cried as she tightly folded her wings against her sides and flew towards the smoke, hoping to help her friends and adoptive father, but someone grabbed her tail feathers gently, but still roughly, causing her to stop dead in her tracks. She looked up and saw Jetfire, in his robot mode, holding her by the longest feather in the wedge. "What's the big idea, Jetfire? We have to help them!" she screeched.

"It could be a trap!" Jetfire hissed as he pulled Juliet towards his body and his arms wrapped around her feathered form in a protective manner.

Juliet was surprised by Jetfire holding onto her like this but she shook her head. A growl escaped from her lips. "I don't care if it's a trap or not, I'm going whether you like it or not!" she snapped as she wiggled out of Jetfire's arms, and flew towards the raging battle between her friends and the Decepticons.

Jetfire growled behind his golden mask and flew right behind Juliet, knowing better than to get on her nerves. _Hang on, Optimus, _he thought. _We're coming._

* * *

Optimus Prime fired upon Starscream, who raised his wingblade above the Autobot Commander. The royal red blast hit Starscream in the wrist, making his hand recoil and open up, forcing the wingblade to flip right out of his black fingertips. He howled in pain as Optimus' right leg connected with the left side of his torso and sent him flying into Demolisher, who had been occupied by Smokescreen.

"Thanks for the save, Prime," Smokescreen laughed, making Optimus chuckle at the delight of his friend.

"Forgotten someone, Prime?"

Optimus felt his Spark come to an abrupt halt and he turned slowly to see Megatron with his clawed fingers wrapped around Hot Shot's arms and the Star Saber's tip just barely touching his throat. Optimus felt his white hands clench into fists as his anger swelled within his systems. If he didn't do something soon, the Hot Shot would be killed right there on the spot in front of his optics.

"Let him go, Megatron!" the Autobot Commander spat.

"Why should I, Prime?" Megatron asked mockingly as his lips curled up to reveal his fangs like a cat spitting at a dog.

"We don't have the Minicon if that's what you're thinking!" Optimus growled.

"Minicon?" Megatron asked with a hint of venom in his voice. "There is no slaggin' Minicon, Prime! We just came here to get what we need."

"What are you…? You mean this whole thing was a trap just to capture one of my men?!"

"Pft. Took you long enough to figure that out, Prime." The Star Saber sword went even closer towards Hot Shot's throat and the young mech struggled uselessly against the tightening grip that threatened to cut off his oxygen tanks.

"YOU WON'T TOUCH MY BROTHER, YOU SLAGGIN' BASTARD!"

Everyone stopped at what they were doing when they heard the screech of a femme's voice. Megatron looked up and spotted a blue and yellow bird with silver optics and the foolish Vice Commander, Jetfire. At first he was surprised by the sudden appearance, but then the look changed to lust and hunger at the sight as the bird transformed to robot mode with grace and beauty and a yellow face plate covered her light blue face to protect it.

The femme landed with a dull _thud _and she pulled something off her back. It was an Energon-Crossbow. "Let, Hot Shot go, or I'll shoot your optics out," she threatened as her clawed fingers reached the trigger and aimed carefully.

"Oh my, it seems a femme has just joined the Autobot Cause," Megatron purred and licked his lips. The femme's right silver optic twitched in annoyance at the purr, but she didn't remove the finger from the trigger.

Optimus Prime, the other Autobots, and the Decepticons did not move as Jetfire landed beside his commander. They watched as Juliet's fingers continued to stay on the Decepticon Commander, her optics never leaving his blood red optics as though she was trying to predict on what he was thinking and was going to do. But nothing happened.

Without warning, Megatron removed his sword from Hot Shot's throat and kicked the young mech in the back. Hot Shot stumbled a little as he tried to regain his balance, but he failed miserably and he fell into Optimus' arms that wrapped around him like a protective cacoon. Red Alert rushed over to them and checked Hot Shot all over to make sure that he was unhurt.

But while the CMO was doing that, Juliet was still occupied with Megatron. The femme's fingers trembled a little and she felt her throat become parched as Megatron took a few steps towards her. The greed and lust in his optics began to go deeper and deeper as the lips curled back even further revealing more of his fangs.

And before the Autobots could even realise, or before Juliet could pull the trigger of her Energon-Crossbow, Megatron pivoted so swiftly that he was behind Juliet within seconds and quickly wrapped his arms around her neck and he stuck something into her right wing. Juliet screamed in pain and she felt her optics beginning to get heavier and heavier as her hands began to lose their grip on the Energon-Crossbow until it clattered to the ground with a _clank_. Juliet then blacked out.

"Decepticons, retreat! We've got what we want!" Megatron called as the Decepticons vanished.

Optimus Prime had stood up after placing Hot Shot in Red Alert's arms and rushed towards Megatron with his fist pulled back as he cried out in anger. But the Decepticon Tyrant only laughed and vanished as Optimus' fist had hit thin air. He turned to look around, his golden optics flaring like mini boiling suns, and got down on his knees before he let out a cry of anguish.

* * *

The Decepticons stepped down the Space Bridge with the yellow and pale blue femme in Megatron's tight hands. The Decepticon Commander turned to Wheeljack and shoved the unconscious femme into his arms.

The ex-bot looked at his commander in confusion, his blue optics wide with surprise. "W… what am I supposed to do with her?" he asked.

"Take her into a cell and chain her up, that's what!" Megatron snapped, making the other Decepticons recoil, including Wheeljack himself.

"What will we do with her after that?" Starscream asked, looking at the femme with slight curiosity as he tilted his head to the side, his orange optics glinting like dying embers.

"I'll deal with that later!" Megatron growled.

Wheeljack shrugged as he turned and left the room with the femme in his arms.

* * *

When Wheeljack reached the holding cells, a foul smell of oil hit his nasal sensors and he wrinkled his nose in disgust. Why would Megatron want to leave this femme in this horrible place? It just didn't seem right for her, especially when she was still bleeding from the needle that Megatron had injected into her side.

Sighing, the ex-bot opened the cell door, placed the femme on the ground, took out six cuffs with their chains attached to the wall and wrapped each of them on a limb, two around the ankles, two around the wrists that held the femme's arms up and two that held her wings in place.

Wheeljack tried to look away, but the growing sympathy in his Spark continued to flow. Sighing again, he took out a cloth and cleaned away the Energon that was dripping from the side of her torso. Once he'd cleaned it away, he stood up and left the cell, closing it behind him and left the holding cell area.

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Spiritimus Prime: Ooooo, what's gonna happen now? 'Jack's got a role to play in this story, but I'm not telling you what it is until it happens. Which will probably be a long way off. XD Aren't I evil, especially with cliffhangers? XD hope you liked it and stay tunned with the next chapter!


	10. To Lose or Not to Lose

**Spiritimus Prime: Yeah, I was in a hurry to get this chapter done so that I could move on to my other stories as well. So yeah, we get to see what happens with Juliet, the Decepticons, and the Autobots. Jetfire might be a little bit out of character in this chapter, but everyone wonders why he's so cheerful in the most harshest of cituations, so now we get to find out why. And Wheeljack has a role to play as well as in a future chapter. :D Enjoy!**

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Chapter 10:

**To Lose or Not to Lose**

As Optimus Prime and his Autobot warriors returned to the base, the kids ran up to them to ask if they'd been successful or not, but the solemn look that Hot Shot gave to them was a clear sign that something had gone wrong. When Rad looked over at Optimus Prime for answers, they clearly understood that someone was missing, but who was the main question.

"Juliet got captured by the Decepticons," Jetfire said quietly, catching the kids completely off guard as the Vice Commander walked around the children and headed for his quarters. No one wished to pursue him for they feared that they would upset him even more.

"What do we do now?" Alexis asked, her brown eyes looking up at Optimus Prime.

"We will rescue Juliet, no matter the cost! I promised her I would keep her safe, but if we're going to rescue her, then we'll need the coordinates to the Decepticons' base," Optimus answered as determination set itself into his optics and they gleamed softly in the light like two miniature suns.

* * *

When Juliet's optics came online, she noticed she was in a dark room that had Cybertronian steel bars to prevent her from escaping. She felt her arms dangling above her and she looked up to see her arms and wings held tightly in cuffs with chains attached to the walls. She tried to slide her arms through the cuffs, but overwhelming pain shot through her systems and she hissed in agony. She then tried her wings, but she could barely even feel them. She even felt her ankles were cuffed as well.

Sighing, Juliet closed her optics, hoping to think that this was all a dream and that she was having a nightmare and being comforted by Optimus Prime or Jetfire. But when she opened them again, she sighed again, realising that it wasn't. She checked the time and noticed that it was 4:00pm. So it must still be in the afternoon on Earth.

Knowing that she couldn't possibly get anywhere, Juliet took a look around at her surroundings, but all she saw was dim darkness that threatened to consume her. Growling in a catlike manner, Juliet tried to stand up, but she fell back down on her tail as dizziness swept through her head. Somehow, that stuff that Megatron had injected had not completely worn off.

A bang rang across the holding cell area and Juliet winced from the sudden noise. The chains clanking against the metal wall as footsteps echoed across the silent room. Loneliness clouded Juliet's mind and she lowered her head, wishing that this would all end. Would her friends come and find her, or will they leave her to her death? She wasn't sure, but the more she kept on thinking about the negative thoughts, the more her hope began to diminish.

No! She couldn't think of such things! They'll rescue her, even if she had to wait a million years for them to find her! Optimus had promised her in her dreams that he would protect her, care for her, love her, and find her if anything happened to her. He was the only thing that was close enough to be her father, even though she'd lost her memories of losing her real family.

"So, are we finally awake?" a voice asked.

Juliet looked up and saw something in the dim blackness. She could faintly see the colours of the spoken mech, the colours of black, gold, silver and tints of blue, as well as blue optics that reminded her of Hot Shot. She turned her head away, her wings moving a little and making her wince again in pain.

"Uncomfortable are you?" the stranger asked, his voice emotionless and full of ice.

Juliet still didn't answer the stranger. Instead, she tried to wriggle free from the cuffs that contained her wrists, but they refused to budge. She heard the sounds of more banging and a squeaky sound as the door to the prison opened up and the stranger stepped in. Juliet tried to struggle harder against the chains in the hopes of escaping, but when the stranger stood in the dim light, she noticed the huge scar cutting across the Autobot symbol on his chest and the tiny Decepticon symbol sitting just underneath.

"You were once an Autobot weren't you?" Juliet asked as the stranger bent down in front of her, ignoring her question.

After several minutes of uncomfortable silence, the stranger reached forward and roughly grabbed the cuffs before he used a key to loosen them up a little. The unbearable pain that had been sweeping through Juliet's wrists faded away.

The stranger then stood up and turned to walk away when Juliet's voice stopped him. "Wait, I didn't get your name," she said.

The stranger looked over his shoulder, a tiny smile tugging at his lips. "It's Wheeljack," he replied and he left the cell once again, closing the door right behind him and his footsteps faded into the distance.

Juliet lowered her head once again, letting Wheeljack's name play over and over again in her head. She hoped that he might come back and keep her company. The dreadful loneliness was beginning to return, but she kept her thoughts in check. She would continue to believe that her friends and father would come for her. No matter what happens.

* * *

Optimus Prime had his arms folded across his chest and his silvery white fingers tapped impatiently against his metallic arms. He bit his bottom lip behind his silver mask as annoyance swept across his systems. In front of him, Red Alert was busy trying to get the coordinates up on the monitor with Sideswipe's assistance, but to no avail.

Scavenger and Blurr were at the back of the room, they too had their arms folded across their chests. They may seem to look patient, but deep down, they were just as anxious as Optimus was. Hot Shot and Smokescreen were quietly chattering away on their plans should be if they were to rescue Juliet, but obviously, the conversation was not getting anywhere. Jetfire was still in his quarters and the kids were sitting on the floor talking to their Minicons.

Without Jetfire to lighten up the mood, none of the Autobots could ever hope to get a plan into motion. And with Optimus Prime starting to get even more impatient, things were beginning to get harder for everyone.

Finally, Optimus lowered his folded arms and sighed deeply. "That does it," he said gruffly, catching everyone's attention. "If Jetfire's going to sulk in his room like this when we need him, then I'm going to have a word with him whether he likes it or not!" And without another word, he turned and left the room, leaving his friends in stunned silence.

"Jetfire, open this door!" Optimus called as he stood in front of Jetfire's quarters.

No answer.

"Jetfire, if you don't open this door, then I'm going to come in there and drag you out!" Optimus threatened. Normally he was not one to make such threats, but at a time like this, he did.

When there was still no answer from Jetfire. Optimus instantly typed in the code to the room and the door opened with a slight hissing sound and he stepped inside.

* * *

The room was dark with barely any light to brighten up the room. A sudden wave of depression hit the Autobot Commander like a tonne of bricks and his golden optics flickered brighter so that he could see in the dim darkness of loneliness and sadness. His optics settled onto Jetfire's berth and he mentally gasped when he saw him lying on his side with his back turned to him.

Slowly, Optimus walked towards the Vice Commander and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. A shudder was felt underneath his silver fingers and Optimus knew that Jetfire had been crying because he could faintly see the tiny pools of Energon coating the berth and Jetfire's cheeks were covered in the streaks.

Optimus knew that Jetfire always hid his emotions behind a cheerful personality to lighten up the mood when things were down. Optimus was the only one who'd seen this emotional side before, and it was not the second time that he had. He'd seen enough to know that Jetfire was a lot like everyone else. He was always one to hide his true feelings behind that golden mask and keeping that happy personality whenever he was around everyone else and the whole world.

"Jetfire?" Optimus asked gently, his hand giving Jetfire's shoulder a tiny reassuring squeeze, hoping to get his attention.

Jetfire, at first, didn't answer his commander, and friend. The ever increasing silence began to consume Optimus mentally, and if he didn't get Jetfire back onto his feet, then the hopes of rescuing Juliet would be very slim. Biting his bottom lip, Optimus sat down on the berth beside Jetfire and continued to keep his squeezed hand on Jetfire's shoulder.

"Jetfire, I know you can hear me. We cannot rescue Juliet if you're going to act like this. I know what you see in her and you've wanted to tell her about your feelings towards her this morning. I've known you since the day we first met and I can tell that you're hurting about losing her. But we haven't lost her because we haven't given up yet. But if we're to succeed on getting Juliet back, then we're going to need your help if we're going to save her from the Decepticons."

Optimus hoped that Jetfire had been listening, and he also hoped that Jetfire would pull himself together and try to help him and the other Autobots on getting her back. When Jetfire still didn't say anything, Optimus sighed and stood back up, but as he turned and headed for the door, Jetfire's voice caught him completely off guard.

"I tried to keep her back," the shuttle mech whispered softly.

Optimus turned to face Jetfire, and he was a little surprised to see the young mech facing him without his golden mask on. Without it, the Autobot Commander could see his light grey lips that were quivering and trying not to shed anymore tears, but he could see the dried up Energon streaks that Jetfire had previously shed and he knew that he was broken inside. If they could rescue Juliet, then maybe she could heal him with her kisses. It was said that love had ways of healing those that had felt lost and uncertain, as well as broken.

"I know, Jetfire. I know you tried to protect her, but her concern for Hot Shot and others of wellbeing is far stronger than we realise. Come out and help us think of a plan to rescue her so that you can tell her how you feel," Optimus whispered as he turned his head down a notch, waiting for Jetfire to answer him as his golden optics glinted in the low darkness.

Jetfire seemed quiet for a moment, and he broke down again. This time, Optimus approached him, sat down beside him and took his head in his arms, bringing him close to his chest so that he could give the young shuttle mech warmth and caring that he'd given Juliet when she needed it the most. Jetfire's sobs continued for a long while as Optimus tried to hush him, rocking back and forth gently as he continued to provide him the fatherly love that he'd given to those that needed a shoulder to cry on.

"We'll get her back, Jetfire, you'll see. I can promise you that we will succeed. Megatron has gone way too far since he captured her and he will not get away with that. And that's a promise I'm willing to keep," Optimus said gently.

When Jetfire calmed down after several minutes, Optimus bent down and picked up his golden mask before handing it back to the shuttle mech, who placed it back on his face. "You ready?" Optimus asked.

Jetfire nodded bitterly as his hands clenched into fists. "They'll pay for this," he growled but Optimus shook his head.

"We mustn't be too hasty. Megatron could try and use Juliet as a hostage and if that happens, we need to have a plan set in motion, alright?"

Jetfire nodded once more and Optimus stood up with Jetfire following in suit. "Come on, let's go rescue Juliet before it's too late," said Optimus and he headed out the door with Jetfire right behind him.

* * *

Juliet was glad that the cuffs on her wrists had been loosened, and she was also glad of Wheeljack to be of assistance. But she wondered why the young ex-bot was no longer an Autobot, and it puzzled her greatly of what his story was and why he betrayed her friends. Did something happen to cause all of it long ago? Or was it before she met the Autobots? She wasn't sure, but the more she pondered on Wheeljack, the more her head ached.

"So, you're still awake?"

Juliet looked up at the familiar voice and she frowned a little at the sight of Wheeljack. "Why bother to keep coming down here when I'm nothing more than a prisoner to you Decepticons?" she retorted.

"I don't know. You're different. How I can tell, I don't know, because you do not matter to me," Wheeljack answered coldly.

"Why are you a Decepticon? Did something happen between you and your friends before I came onto the team, or was it way before you guys came to Earth?" Juliet asked.

Wheeljack winced when she mentioned 'long ago'. At first he didn't answer the question and he bit his bottom lip to prevent himself from answering it right away. But the way how this femme was looking at him in a curious manner was obviously bothering him to the point of annoyance. "Fine, I'm a Decepticon because Hot Shot left me to die and Megatron saved me. There, I've said it. Happy now?"

"Much appreciated," Juliet said with a slight snigger, earning a look of disgust from Wheeljack.

"I don't even know why I even bother talking to you!" Wheeljack snapped as his lips twitched in annoyance.

"Gee, sorry, Mr. Snappy," Juliet said with a groan and rolled her silver optics as she twitched her tail.

Wheeljack rolled his optics as well and he turned to walk away, but the femme's voice stopped him.

"Wait! Where are you going?" the femme called.

"Away. I'm sick of listening to your bitchy mouth," Wheeljack growled as he turned back to face the femme. The femme recoiled from his snap, but she made no attempt to open her mouth and give him another sharp retort. The silence hung in the dead air like snow in space. The sudden cold came over Wheeljack and he felt the need to shiver for no apparent reason. He eyed her suspiciously and lifted an optic ridge before saying, "Who are you anyway?"

The femme lowered her head and looked away. "I have no name," she whispered and looked back at Wheeljack. "I guess you think that Hot Shot will leave you behind again?" she asked.

Wheeljack winced at the name. "Of course I do!" he snapped. "The Autobots all left me behind, and I'm never going back!"

Juliet smiled a little. "I have no memories of my parents and I lost them in an accident, which Optimus told me about. The big guy took me in and treated me like as if I was his own. Even the others treat me like I'm part of the family. I know that they're going to come for me and will never leave me behind like you think Hot Shot abandoned you. And I can prove that to you when they come to rescue me."

"Think all you want, kid. They're never coming for you," Wheeljack growled.

"I'm keeping my hopes up. Optimus and Jetfire made me a promise, and I know that they'll never go back on their word."

"Pah! You Autobots are all alike!" Wheeljack growled and he left the room, leaving Juliet alone once again.

* * *

When Wheeljack stepped out of the door that led into the holding cell area, he found himself halted by the femme's words. Did she really believe that they'll come and rescue her? Why bother having so much faith in them? Hot Shot left him alone to die after he'd promised to come back for him. But now that the promise had been broken and Megatron had saved him, Wheeljack now had thousands of doubts in the Autobots.

_But why does she have so much faith in them? They left me behind, and maybe they'll be bound to do the same for her? _Wheeljack thought to himself. He bit his bottom lip and he shook his head. _I'm becoming soft again, I'm not an Autobot, I'm a Decepticon now! _His thoughts continued to swim around as his Autobot side begged him to do the right thing.

Finally, he smashed his fist into a wall, putting a dent in it. He'd given up arguing with his Autobot side, and he knew that if he didn't do it, then it would never shut up. If the femme was putting so much faith in her friends, then he might as well do something to bring the faith up even higher. Turning, he headed for the Control Room to do his work.

* * *

"Erm... Optimus, I've got something," said Red Alert as he looked over his shoulder when Optimus Prime and Jetfire into the Command Centre. Red Alert had been working for almost an hour to find coordinates to the Decepticon base, but he'd been unsuccessful until something had happened. Someone was sending the Autobots numbers and letters in odd hieroglyphics.

Optimus lifted an optic ridge in puzzlement. Something about those hieroglyphics seemed oddly familiar, but he couldn't remember where he'd seen them before. He turned to Red Alert and said, "Red, see if you can translate it. I have a feeling that these are coordinates."

Red Alert nodded and he instantly got to work with Sideswipe's help.

Jetfire looked at Optimus with a slight glint of hope in his golden optics and Optimus looked back at him. He nodded once towards Jetfire, and Jetfire's optics widened in surprise. Had someone sent the coordinates to the Decepticons' base? It was a possibility, but it was a slim chance that it could only be a joke.

When Red Alert was done translating, he turned to Optimus. "Optimus, they're coordinates to the moon!" he cried.

"Then that means someone sent us these coordinates to the Decepticons' base. We can only pray to Primus that this isn't a trap," said Optimus as he looked towards his Autobot comrades. "Autobots, let's roll out!"

"Yes sir!"

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Spiritimus Prime: Yeap, another cliffhanger... good Primus, I'm so cruel when it comes to these! . I'm going to try and not do something like this again, but it can't be helped. you need suspence to keep everyone interested. Anyway, I wonder who sent the coordinates to the Autobots' base? One can only guess and I think you know who it is. First one to guess gets a cookie! W00t!


	11. Rescue Juliet!

**Spiritimus Prime: I felt like uploading the next chapter to this story for just the heck of it so that I could get it over and done with before the next chapter to when Juliet and Jetfire admit their feelings to each other. Yes, that's next chapter, so no complaining or I'll send an angry mech-turned-femme Hot Shot upon you! Bwahahahaha! Enjoy!**

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Chapter 11:

**Rescue Juliet!**

Darkness was all that surrounded Megatron, even though there was a little light coming from above the Decepticon Tyrant. Even the silence was welcoming to him as he snored away on his throne. Yes, it was a perfect time for resting his optics, but it didn't last very long. Snorting, Megatron's blood red optics flickered online and he licked his lips as he awoke. He'd completely forgotten about his prisoner since he'd fallen asleep, but now that he was wide awake and fully charged, he now remembered.

Standing up, Megatron headed towards the door, his lust and hunger burning as he thought of that femme that both Prime and Jetfire had been so protective about. He licked his lips again, his tongue brushing his right fang as the thought of the blue and yellow femme under his power made him more lustful than ever. Oh yes, he could imagine her cringing at the sight of his dark form standing in front of her and her screams would be satisfying to his audio receptors.

He was hoping to not get there so quickly, wanting to bide his time, but unfortunately, he arrived at the holding cell area faster than he realised. Biting his bottom lip in annoyance at his so-called speed, the Decepticon General paced up and down in front of the door, wishing that time would pass slowly so that he could plan on what he should do to the femme. But his hunger couldn't wait anymore, and he decided that enough was enough.

Time to get down to business.

He was about to open up the door to the holding cell when footsteps echoed around the corridors. Snarling in annoyance, Megatron turned and found himself face-to-face with Demolisher and Starscream.

"What do you two want?" the Decepticon Leader hissed.

Both Starscream and Demolisher cringed at the annoyed tone from their leader. Starscream didn't say anything, but Demolisher swallowed his fear and plucked up his courage to speak. "We were just on our way to the Training Room to get into practise sir when we spotted you standing here in front of the door. So…"

"I don't care what you two were doing!" Megatron snapped, silencing Demolisher at once. Megatron stood up straight, his lips curled into a snarl. "Since you two are here, I have an order for you to carry out," he said, his voice still holding their coldness, but was a little calmer.

"Oh?" Starscream asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Yes, since I'll be going in to see how our 'guest is doing, I order you two to stand guard. I have a feeling someone will come down here while I'm with the femme."

Starscream and Demolisher exchanged nervous glances to each other. Something wasn't right with this visit, and whatever Megatron was going to do to the femme, it couldn't be good at all for her. Knowing that Demolisher would just blindly follow the order, but he would interrupt anything if it was necessary, Starscream just emitted a growl and nodded reluctantly.

The seeker mech hated mistreatment he received regularly from Megatron, and he hated it even more when he did it to femmes. He knew that he should do something, but if he interrupted while Megatron was busy, then he, too, would receive the same treatment later on, and he didn't want that at all.

Megatron nodded in satisfaction and walked into the holding cell area, locking the door behind him in case someone would try to barge in.

* * *

Juliet lifted her head when she heard someone close the door to the holding cell area. Extremely heavy footsteps echoed through the passageway, and she knew that it was not Wheeljack returning because he was much silent than this. Scavenger had taught her how to listen to someone's footsteps to determine their weight, their posture, and the way they carried themselves. This Decepticon sounded heavy, was carrying himself in a prideful way, and it sounded like he was biding his time.

Whoever it was, he sure sounded confident with himself.

Juliet lowered her head back down, knowing fully well that this enemy was Megatron. If she looked up, then it was a sheer sign that she would be showing disrespect towards the Decepticon Commander. But obviously, she was not being submissive, she had to act like she hadn't heard him and had given up hope that her friends were not coming to save her.

The footsteps came to an abrupt halt in front of her cell.

"So," Megatron's deep voice growled, "have you finally accepted the fact that your friends are not coming for you, femme?"

Juliet said nothing. She was in no mood to speak, and she did not want to come up with smart remarks towards the large Decepticon. She knew that she was no match for him in strength and skill, but she did have speed and cunning on her side. She couldn't use her speed in here because of still being chained to the wall, but maybe she could use her cunning. But what should she do? Just play along until Megatron would leave? Or perhaps stall him for as long as possible.

Obviously Megatron was always impatient, so perhaps it would be best to not get on his nerves. Maybe she should just accept whatever was coming from him? _Gah! Why is it so hard to think? _Juliet thought bitterly as her clawed hands dug into the floor in her frustration.

Megatron smirked when he saw the femme's hands dig into the floor. _She must be frustrated about something. Oh well, it's time to make my move, _he thought as he opened the door to the cell.

The bang from the closed door forced Juliet to look up as she felt her Sparkbeat increase a hundred miles an hour and fear pulsed through her systems. Megatron was walking towards her, his blood red optics glowing in the deep darkness that had engulfed her since she'd first woken up in the Decepticons' base. Trembling as Megatron stood over her, Juliet's hands clenched into fists as he wrapped his clawed left hand around her tiny cuffed wrists and instantly tugged the chains off, but leaving the cuffs on her wrists.

Unbearable pain swam through Juliet's body and she screamed in pain as Megatron removed the chains from her wings and ankles so roughly that more pain erupted through her body sensors. She tried to struggle, but Megatron's incredible strength lifted her off the ground as if she weighed like nothing, bringing her close to his face until she could smell his oily breath. The smell made her want to throw up, but she didn't dare to vomit all over him.

Megatron's smirk came over his face like a snake coming out of a hole. It amused him to see this, once, brave femme struggle and scream in front of him, and his lust burned even more like a raging firestorm in the bush of Australia. With his smirk growing even more, Megatron threw the femme roughly onto the floor of the cell, her cries of pain satisfying his audio receptors.

Juliet had never felt this much pain since Cyclonus had shot her before her transformation. Whatever Megatron was going to do to her, she knew that she had to get away, somehow, and escape this terrifying place. Suddenly, she felt Megatron's clawed hands stroking her thighs, and then she knew what he was really going to do to her. He was going to force bond with her! Or rape, in human terms.

Juliet remembered Red Alert telling her about how Transformers had sexual intercourse. It was when a mech and femme did it the human way. Or, if they really loved each other, they could join their Sparks together and become husband and wife, or life partners, or bondmates, in the Transformers' perspective. It didn't bother her one bit, but with Megatron doing this in a forcing way, then it sickened her horribly to the core of her Spark.

She did not, I repeat, did not want to be the bondmate to this disgusting bastard!

Despite how weak Juliet felt from lack of Energon, she still fought like a wild demon, and this made Megatron all the more desperate to get what he wanted. But, just before he could open up the femme's breastplate, a loud bang echoed throughout the base and Juliet, silently, breathed a sigh of relief. Help had finally come at last.

Snarling, Megatron picked the femme up by the head with one hand as if she weighed like nothing, her pawed feet dangling just a Transformer foot off the ground. "Somehow," he said both to himself and the femme, "the Autobots have found our base." He looked down at the femme, licking his lips. "Shall we go greet our guests?"

Juliet just whimpered, unable to say a word due to the tremendous pain that she was feeling all over her body. Since her limbs were still cuffed, but no longer chained, she struggled, but they were less frantic than before because of her sore body and low energy reserves. Turning her silver optics offline, she prayed to Primus, thanking Him for heeding her call. She even prayed that He would keep them safe until they got back to base. Her whole body trembled in both excitement and fear.

Juliet was forced to online her optics when she felt her body get dragged on the ground. She realised that Megatron was going to use her as a bargaining chip, and if she didn't do something quickly, then her friends would be forced to give up the Minicons for her own life. That's when an idea flickered into her mind, and she hoped that it would work, if Optimus saw through her plan.

* * *

The whole base was becoming trashed as purple and red energy blasts mixed together, flying through the dead air as they shot over enemy heads as though it was doing some kind of dance. Optimus Prime gave Cyclonus an uppercut to the chin and sent him crashing into a wall.

Quickly, the Autobot Commander found himself some cover, behind a pile of steel that had been removed from the ceiling when Thrust had been chucked into by Scavenger, as more blasts shot over ahead. Jetfire was at his side with his blaster in his hand, his golden optics were glowing with rage and fury, but Optimus gently placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze, reassuring him. Jetfire eased himself and nodded once, it seemed that Optimus understood his raging feelings to rescue Juliet, and he was doing everything he could to keep him focused on the mission.

"Hold your fire or this femme gets it, _Prime_!" an all too familiar voice bellowed over the shooting.

Optimus emitted a silent growl and he looked over the cover that he Jetfire were taking shelter behind. To his horror and anger, he saw Megatron holding Juliet by the back of her neck with the Star Saber right underneath her neck. _That's the same tactic he pulled on Hot Shot, _the Autobot Commander thought angrily as his hands clenched into fists.

Still growling, Optimus shouted, "Autobots! Stand down or you'll hit her!"

The firing continued a little while before they finally ceased, along with the Decepticon firing as well, not wanting to hit Megatron.

Jetfire gave a worried look as he bit his bottom lip. What could they do to prevent Megatron from shooting Juliet, as well as prevent him from getting their Minicon partners? He wasn't sure and he peeked over the steel cover before he felt more rage pulsing through him at an unbelievable rate.

Seeing Juliet with tonnes of dents, cracks and having Energon dripping from her wings, wrists, ankles and face made the Vice Commander want to do something to make Megatron pay for touching her like that.

Megatron's voice filled the passageway again as the firing continued. "Give me the Minicons, Prime, and I may give this worthless femme back!

Optimus didn't know what to do! If he didn't think of something fast, then Juliet's life would end before he even knew it. Jetfire watched his friend closely and he looked from the cover once more. Wait a minute! He squinted his optics and he thought he caught a glimpse of Juliet's silver optics watching him. To his surprise, he saw her wink that was so small that he thought he missed it. What did she have planned?

Juliet's right hand clenched into a fist as slowly as she could. Megatron looked towards her to make sure that she was being still, and she quickly relaxed her fist. _Damn it! He's probably expecting me to make a move!_ she thought angrily. If she didn't make her move soon, then her friends would be forced to give up the Minicons for her own life.

Suddenly, a blast came out of nowhere and hit Megatron in the right flank. He howled in pain and he dropped Juliet's form. As quickly as she could, Juliet picked herself off the ground, stumbling and wincing in pain as she ran.

The femme reached Optimus and Jetfire's cover and the Vice Commander quickly grabbed her hips, yanking her towards his warm body and she yelped in surprise when Jetfire's arms wrapped around her like a protective cacoon and she struggled, expecting him to be a Decepticon, but when his familiar voice echoed through her audio receptors, she ceased her struggling and dug her head into his chest, sobbing, as well as trembling.

Jetfire closed his optics for a moment, gently stroking her helmet with his silver fingers as he pulled her closer towards his chest, hushing her to cease her crying. Never again would he let Juliet leave his sights again for as long as he lived. But their reunion would have to wait, for Optimus was shouting at the other Autobots to make a run outside.

Juliet was far too weak to stand, and Jetfire quickly picked her up in his arms bride style. Without needing to be told twice, he and Optimus raced towards the hole that they'd blown in a wall with the other Autobots following close behind. Red Alert was hot on his heels and he knew that the CMO needed to check on Juliet, but it would have to wait until they reached home.

The Autobots reached the spot where they'd warped from and they vanished as quickly as they could before Megatron and the other Decepticons would come after them and Juliet again.

* * *

When the Autobots arrived back at their base, Red Alert quickly motioned Jetfire to follow him and they raced off with Optimus Prime right on their heels. If they didn't hurry soon, then it was a possibility that they could lose Juliet… again. And Jetfire did not want to admit his feelings to a corpse. But the distress that was flowing through him, Optimus and Red Alert, was something that could not be denied.

They arrived at the Med-Bay quicker than they thought and Red Alert ordered Jetfire to put Juliet on a medical table. The Vice Commander did so and stood beside Optimus Prime to watch and wait. He hated this, and his Spark was racing so fast that he thought it was going to burst right out of his chest.

Red Alert worked as hard as he could until he managed to get Juliet stabilized enough for him to start working on the repairs slowly. He heard Optimus and Jetfire approaching from behind him and he looked up at the high-ranking officers. He could see the worry in both of their golden optics, but he didn't say anything until they asked the questions.

"How is she?" Optimus asked.

"She's fine now. The only thing she's suffered from is physical damage from the cuffs that I had to remove from her wrists, wings, and ankles. She's got a few bruises and cuts, but other than that and having low Energon reserves, she's alright," Red Alert replied as he wiped his hands to clear the Energon that had leaked from some of the cuts on Juliet's arms and face.

Optimus nodded his thanks as Jetfire looked at Juliet, and then back at Red Alert. "Will she be alright?" he asked worriedly.

Red Alert rolled his optics. "Didn't you hear me? I said 'she's fine'!" he growled in annoyed tone of voice.

"Sorry, what I meant to say is, when will she be able to wake up?" Jetfire asked, ignoring the CMO's annoyed tone.

"Give her a couple of days and she'll be back on her feet before you even know it."

Jetfire nodded once and looked over at Juliet, his golden optics flickering with worry before they darted back onto Red Alert. "Just how, exactly, did she get those injuries?" he asked.

Red Alert hadn't really thought of that, but now that he did, he had a gut feeling that he'd seen those types of injuries before, especially around the crotch section. It disturbed him greatly and he bit his bottom lip when he finally remembered where he'd seen them long ago. Sighing, he turned back to the Autobot Commander and the Vice Commander. When he spoke, both high-ranking officers heard the slight grief in his voice.

"Someone tried to force bond with her."

Jetfire felt the rage in him reach its peak and he shouted in a demanding voice, "I WANT TO KNOW WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL OF THIS!"

Both Red Alert and Optimus had expected that from Jetfire. They knew that whenever he was enraged or distressed, he always spoke his mind and never took his rage out on any property. Well… except for that one time with Hot Shot when that foolish, young mech tried to find the Decepticons on his own (didn't happen really yet, but you get the idea).

Red Alert sighed. "I believe Megatron is the answer you're looking for, Jetfire. From what I can tell, he hurt her first, and then tried to open her breastplate to release her Spark. Unfortunately, he didn't get the chance because we ruined that moment before he could even try, though he did inflict an injury in this section." He pointed to the inside of Juliet's thighs where there were some claw marks from the Decepticon Tyrant. "So, I am not sure if she is just physically damaged."

Jetfire bit his bottom lip again and nodded once more. "So all we have to do is wait?" he asked.

Red Alert nodded. "Yes," he said. "Until she wakes up, we will not be able to find out exactly what happened to her, but I know for sure that she was this close," he held up his finger and thumb just an inch apart, "to getting force bonded."

Optimus emitted a soft growl and sighed. "We might as well leave her to rest. We can only hope that she wakes up as you predicted, Red Alert," he said as he turned and headed for the exit of the Med-Bay. He was expecting Jetfire to follow him, but not to his surprise, the Vice Commander didn't. Turning fully around, he noticed Jetfire was setting a chair next to Juliet's bed and was gently stroking her helmet with his fingers with tender and care. "Are you coming, Jetfire?" Optimus asked.

Jetfire didn't look up, but he said, "No, I want to stay here with her until she wakes up."

Both Red Alert and Optimus looked at one another before Red Alert said, "Alright, you can stay there until the two days are up, but if she doesn't wake up by then, then I'll be kicking you out."

Optimus chuckled, but didn't say anything to agree with Red Alert. Placing a hand on the CMO's shoulder, he and Red Alert left the medical room, but not before Red Alert switched the lights off to indicate that the day had been done for the time being.

When they'd gone, leaving Jetfire alone, the Vice Commander placed his chin upon his hands and he leaned forward a little towards Juliet's face. Quietly, he removed his mask, revealing his black lips, and gently kissed her on the cheek before dimming his golden optics and slipping into recharge, his own thoughts full of thanking prays to Primus for bringing Juliet back to him. Although he wondered exactly who had sent the coordinates to the Autobot base and who fired the shot at Megatron. But that was a mystery that will remain quiet for a long period of time.

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Spiritimus Prime: So, who can guess who fired the shot at Megatron? First one to guess gets a choc chip cookie! XD Till next chapter guys and girls!


	12. Love Thee Always

**Spiritimus Prime: And the winner of guessing first at whoever shot at Megatron is... GrimlockX4! Here's my promised cookie! (throws cookie) As for those who also guessed that it was Wheeljack who shot at him, then congratulations, but I'm afraid GrimlockX4 beat ya to it. Sorry, but next time, try and be more quicker with your reviews, it could get you somewhere. XD Anyway, this is the chapter that you've all been waiting for! Yayz!**

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Chapter 12:

**Love Thee Always**

The sounds of gentle beeping machines awakened Juliet. She didn't know how long she had lain on the medical bed, but something told her that it was around three days. Although she was awake, Juliet could not turn her optics online for some apparent reason. Mentally growling to herself in frustration, she struggled to get her optics back online, but nothing happened. Without thinking, she placed a hand over her face and tried to feel whatever it was that was covering her optic sensors when something grabbed her hand, preventing her from touching it at all.

"Who's there?" Juliet growled, praying that it was not a Decepticon that would be watching her carefully.

"Take it easy, Juliet, it's me, Red Alert. Remember?" a familiar voice asked.

A sudden tremor of fear washed through Juliet and she sat up instantly, wrapping her arms around Red Alert's chest as she dug her head into his secure armour, tears dripping down her cheeks as she cried her fears out. Red Alert's arms wrapped around her, giving her warmth and security that she had not felt since she'd been captured by the Decepticons, but that warmth did not last for very long when she remembered Jetfire.

"Where's Jetfire? Is he okay?" the femme asked in fear.

"He's fine, he hasn't left your side since you came into this room, so I had to send him out to go and get a refill of Energon. He's been more worried about you than about himself," Red Alert explained as he let go of Juliet and looked at her.

"Why can't I see?" Juliet asked as more panic swelled within her to alarming rates.

"I had to put a bandage over your optics because they were a little damaged. I'll be removing them soon, so you need to not worry about it," Red Alert answered as he placed a hand upon her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze that reassured her a bit.

"And what about Optimus, is he okay as well?"

"He's been more worried about you than just Jetfire. Guess it's in a father's nature to be worried about his child, even though she's adopted," Red Alert said with a chuckle.

"Oh… okay. Can I see… um, I mean… speak with them?"

"Of course, I was just about to call them to tell them how you were proceeding until you woke up."

Juliet heard the CMO move away from her before she heard the sound of a beep and Red Alert saying, "Sir, Jetfire, she's awake now and wants to see you both." There was some silence and the beep died down before Red Alert's footsteps drew up beside her and she felt a hand being placed on her shoulder again. The comforting squeeze was felt and the young femme breathed a sigh of relief before she heard the medical doors swish open and two pairs of footsteps walked in. A smile crossed her lips in happiness as one pair ran up to her and wrapped their arms around her body. The always familiar warmth and comfort was felt within them and she dug her head into his armour, knowing fully well who it was that had given her the comforting hug that always meant safety and care.

"How are you feeling, Juliet?' Optimus' voice asked.

Jetfire's arms removed themselves from Juliet and the security left the femme in a hurry, but she didn't want to be babied at the moment. She needed to get over that incident with Megatron, but she had the feeling that they knew what had happened to her. Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around her legs, brought them close to her chest and cried.

Jetfire's arms wrapped around her again, his gentle voice tried to hush her, but the overwhelming fear, of what Megatron had done, began to take over. She trembled harder and dug her head into Jetfire's neck, hearing his gentle breathing as hers matched his own.

Juliet looked up from keeping her head in Jetfire's armour and said, in a quiet voice, "Terrified."

That was all that Optimus needed to know. Jetfire then hushed her and gently stroked her neck, caressing her helmet with his silver fingers. Optimus watched a little while longer and he nodded towards Red Alert. Now was the time to remove the bandages and help heal her broken self. Red Alert got the message and he motioned to Jetfire to move out of the way. He obeyed, but he gently took Juliet's hand as he sat down beside her, her hand gripping his own so tightly that he thought he was going to lose it.

"Alright, Julie, I'm going to remove the bandages, so let me know if it becomes too bright and I'll stop at once. Okay?" Red Alert asked.

Juliet just nodded, not wanting to speak, as she swallowed her fears. Jetfire's hand kept her from breaking down again but her Spark began to beat a hundred miles an hour that matched the rhythm of her fear.

Slowly, Red Alert began to remove the bandages from Juliet's optics. The light began to get brighter, but it didn't harm her optic sensors until Red Alert had removed it completely. He did a couple of tests, such as using a finger an getting her optics to follow its course of movement, and even pulled his finger away so that she could zoom in and out of it.

Juliet looked around the room until the familiar grip caught her attention. She turned her head and her optics settled onto the golden sunflowers that sparkled with compassion and kindness, including one emotion she couldn't quite put her finger on. She bit her bottom lip and then looked towards Optimus, who was smiling behind his silver mask.

"Are you alright now?" the Autobot Commander asked gently.

"I'm okay… but… I cannot help but think about what happened. The very thought terrifies me to the core of my Spark it just won't go away unless I cause physical harm to myself," Juliet whispered as she dug her head into her knees, forgetting that she was still holding onto Jetfire's hand.

Optimus nodded his understanding before he approached and gently placed a hand upon her shoulder. "You'll pull through this, Julie. You just need something that has always been missing in your Spark, but I think you know what it is but you do not know why." He removed his hand and said gently, "I will leave you alone now. There's nothing I can do for you at the moment, but perhaps a certain someone will help you open up more." He then left the medical room, the doors hissing behind him as they closed.

Jetfire looked towards Red Alert. "Is she allowed to leave now?" he asked.

Red Alert nodded. "As long as you don't pressure her too much into doing something that is beyond her physical limit, then I'm fine with it."

Jetfire nodded his thanks and he carefully stood up, Juliet following in suite, and they walked out the room, being careful to not reopen the wounds that were still healing from the torture that Megatron had inflicted, but Jetfire knew that she was going to heal in due time.

* * *

Arriving in the Rec. Room, Jetfire gently set Juliet on the couch before leaving for a moment, then returning with two cubes of Energon and handing one to Juliet, which she took carefully in her pawed hands and took a sip. The warm liquid washed down her throat, but she hardly noticed Jetfire hadn't even put his to his lips at all, nor did she notice that he was looking at her with his golden optics.

Juliet looked towards Jetfire when she noticed that he was looking at her. She lifted an optic ridge in puzzlement. "Is something the matter?" she asked, obviously wondering why he was staring at her.

Jetfire bit his bottom lip. It was time to tell Juliet his feelings. If he didn't tell her anytime soon, then he would miss his chance of ever telling her. He'd been so close to telling her before Megatron had abducted her, and now was as good a time as anything. Sighing, he gently took Juliet's hand and squeezed it as carefully as he could, causing her to look up, her silver optics looked into his own and silence hung in the air.

Jetfire swallowed his nervousness and took a deep breath before taking both of Juliet's hands into his own. "Juliet," he said softly, "ever since we've first met and started pulling pranks together, I've begun to develop feelings for you that are nearly beyond my understanding. But, ever since Megatron took you away from me, I've now come to understand what the feeling meant, especially when Optimus said that there is someone who can help you recover from that whole incident and to help you uncover the mysteries that surround your hidden memories. Juliet, what I'm trying to say is that… I love you."

Juliet felt her breath catch into her throat when Jetfire spoke true to his Spark. She lowered her head, trying to collect her thoughts and think of what she should say to the mech that meant so much to her. But now that he'd admitted his feelings for her, she could tell him how she felt. Her hands' grip tightened a little more and she leaned forward a little towards the shuttle mech, her silver optics looking into his golden ones as they twinkled in the light.

"Jetfire," she whispered back, "I too have developed feelings for you. I managed to figure out what they were when we grew closer, but I feared that you wouldn't return the same feelings to me until now. Jetfire, I love with you with all my Spark and I want to be with you for all eternity. Memories or not, I don't care about my blood family, nor do I wish to remember them, even if I did get my memories back. Optimus Prime will always be the father that I could never have even dreamed about, and you will always be the one mech who would make me feel complete. The hole in my Spark is about to be refilled. Now, kiss me before I'll do it first."

Jetfire smiled, wanting to grant her wish. He removed his golden mask, revealing his black lips that he'd kept hidden from the world. The only ones who'd ever seen him without his mask was Optimus Prime and Red Alert, but Juliet counted as the third, and he wanted to make this first kiss special for her. He gently cupped her head in his silver hands and pulled her towards himself. Slowly, his lips latched onto her sky blue ones and they melted into the kiss.

Juliet wrapped her arms around Jetfire's neck and pulled herself closer towards him, burying her lips deeper into the kiss and she felt a small spark of electricity hit her mouth. She had the feeling that it was normal during these moments, so she sent an electric shock of her own through the connection, causing Jetfire to jump in surprise. But the shuttle mech continued his kiss as he tried to poke his tongue into her mouth, hoping to get a taste of her mouth, but she kept her mouth shut until he forced it in, making her giggle in delight. His tongue explored her mouth for a moment until her tongue lashed out, wrapping around his own as they wrestled for dominance to see who could gain access to the other's mouth. The battle raged for several minutes and, at last, Juliet gave away and Jetfire entered her mouth fully, exploring and tasting every bit of detail he could get until he memorised the whole place as he tasted her sweet flavour that reminded him of an Energon candy cane.

The kissing and exploring lasted for nearly fifteen minutes when Jetfire's lips released their grasp, a small strand of saliva being formed as he pulled back. They sat there for a moment, licking their lips, trying to taste the wonderful sensation that they'd felt on their tongues and lips that refused to go away.

"Am I interrupting anything?"

Both Jetfire and Juliet looked towards the doorway and saw Smokescreen and Sideswipe standing there. Smokescreen looked a little bug-opticed, while Sideswipe was trying hard to not laugh at the orange mech, but all he managed to get out of his lips was a snigger.

"Not that I know of," Juliet said with a smirk as Jetfire couldn't help but emit a growl of annoyance, but only she heard it. She hopped off the couch, careful to not further injure herself, and walked over to Smokescreen. "You didn't see anything, okay?" she asked as her tone grew dangerously low.

Smokescreen snapped out of his daze and nodded. "Nope, I saw nothing. I won't tell a soul," he said a little sheepishly as his cheeks flushed red. He then walked out the room as quickly as he could.

Sideswipe was about to turn and follow, but he stopped himself and looked back at Juliet before winking towards her and said kindly, "Good luck in your relationship." He then ran out the room as fast as he could before Jetfire could think about giving chase.

Juliet shook her head, but then she felt hands wrap around her waist and someone's cheek nuzzled her own. She leaned into that cheek and Jetfire turned her around slowly, forcing her to face him, and he kissed her once again. The kiss was quick, but it was still good to the both of them. Their foreheads then touched as their lips let go and Jetfire said, "Shall we go tell Optimus the good news?"

Juliet smiled and nodded as they removed their foreheads from each other. Jetfire then picked up his golden mask, put it back on and they walked out the Rec. Room side by side with their hands locked together in their newfound relationship.

* * *

"I knew you two could do it," said Optimus Prime as Juliet and Jetfire walked into the Control Room. They were not only greeted by Optimus, but by Hot Shot, Red Alert, Blurr and Scavenger as well. They were all smiling, but none could tell if Blurr was or not because of his emotionless expression that was very difficult to read, but they had the feeling he was happy nonetheless.

Jetfire nodded and looked towards Juliet, who was looking at Optimus with her silver optics. She seemed silent for a moment until she said quietly, "You knew didn't you?"

"I knew, yes, because Jetfire told me about his feelings for you. I merely guessed the rest when he never told me who it was," Optimus answered with a nod as Juliet nearly glared daggers at him like ice that would've pierced anyone's gaze, but Optimus was not one to be affected by such stares. He received them all the time, and this one was no different compared to the ones he got from his men. He mostly got them from Hot Shot, but he never said a word about it because he understood the young latter's frustration and annoyance.

"I suppose you kept it hidden just to see if I felt the same way about him?" Juliet asked as her glare settled down to just an annoyed look.

"Yes I did. If I told the one that the other loves, then there would be no satisfaction from the other. One must confess their love when they believe that their feelings can no longer be ignored or when they understand the true concept of love," Optimus answered softly.

Juliet nodded as bit her bottom lip. "I'm sorry, Optimus, I shouldn't have acted like that towards you after you've done so much for me since I lost my blood family. You've given me a home, a family, a new life, and now a love that I can now be with for the rest of my life." She looked towards Jetfire, who smiled from behind his mask and pulled her towards his chest, his hands gently caressing her wings.

"I understand your anger, Juliet," Optimus said with a smile and he looked into Jetfire's golden optics. "I hope you'll take good care of her and protect her with your very life, Jetfire."

Jetfire nodded as his hand removed itself from Juliet's wing and onto her right cheek, his thumb caressing it and feeling every detail that his touching abilities would allow him to feel. "I swear upon my Spark that no harm will come to her," he replied.

Optimus nodded his satisfaction and he checked the time. "It is time that we head to our quarters for the night," he said as he watched everyone stretch their limbs and yawn in exhaustion. "We never know what could happen in the morning, either a Minicon will activate, or it could be a quiet time for all of us. Goodnight everyone and I hope to see you all in the morning."

With those words said, the Autobots departed to their quarters while Juliet and Jetfire went to Jetfire's to spend their first night together. Jetfire had no intention of taking their newborn relationship to the next level right away because of fearing that he might hurt her in the process. Even becoming bondmates was highly dangerous, so he decided to save that special moment when Juliet was really ready to face life with him now that she had taken the immortal path since her rebirth as the Transformer everyone saw before them.

* * *

Before walking into Jetfire's room, the shuttle mech instantly swept Juliet off her feet by carrying her bride style into his room and gently placing her onto his recharge berth. It wasn't very big, but it could still fit them anyway.

Gently, Jetfire climbed onto the berth beside her and kissed her on the lips. She kissed him back lovingly as their tongues, once again, wrestled for dominance, but Juliet won this time and she explored his mouth eagerly. Jetfire caressed her cheeks with his fingers, being careful to not go too far unless they were really ready to take the next step into their relationship.

Juliet sighed in content as Jetfire allowed her to access his mouth, she could tell he didn't mind the entry, and she was glad that she had admitted her feelings to him rather than Hot Shot. Sure she liked Hot Shot, but it was more of a sibling relationship, and he accepted the fact despite how he saw her and Jetfire together when they told them the news of their love.

When Juliet released her grip on Jetfire's mouth, the shuttle mech wrapped his arms around her body and pulled her close to his chest. Juliet could hear the faint beating of his Spark pumping the Energon around his body like a human heart doing the same thing. She let her body relax a little as she dug her head into his chest armour, every part of her feeling more and more secure as she forgot about being abducted by Megatron and nearly raped by him. Her only thoughts were mainly focused on Jetfire and him alone.

Slowly, Jetfire bent forward and his voice whispered into her audio receptors, "I love you, Juliet." His voice held warmth, security, and gentleness and Juliet did not want those feelings to go away. Her forearms tightened a little as she looked into his warm optics that held all his emotions bottled up into one thing that meant so much to her: love.

"I love you too, Jetfire," she whispered back as she kissed him on the lips before she dimmed her optics as sleep took over her vision. She hoped that tomorrow would be a better day than this one.

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Spiritimus Prime: You think this is the end of the story? No, it isn't! There's still a few things that have to happen such as Wheeljack's major role that I have planned for him. So I hope you liked this chapter and stay tunned for the next one! W00tiness! 0


	13. Sky Dancers

**Spiritimus Prime: Yeah, I was in a hurry to get this done now that schoolwork is starting to catch up with me. I have to get past this stupid SACE 1 to make into TAFE since I completed my TABS test. I reckon updates might be a little slow, but we'll see how my English goes in these last three weeks of school. OH YEAH! NO EXAMS! YES!**

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Chapter 13:

**Sky Dancers**

Juliet had woken up reasonably early in the morning and had left Jetfire to sleep in peace while she went to the Rec. Room to go and get herself a drink of Energon. Setting herself down on the couch with the cube in her hand, she sat there thinking quietly about what had happened so far. Since her mind was blocked up to her previous time before the car accident, she decided to reflect on the life she now lived. She wondered if fate had wanted her to be turned into a Transformer because she would probably not be able to find love as a human being. The whole idea of fate deciding to make her like this to fall for Jetfire was starting to bug her to the point of annoyance.

Sighing, Juliet took a sip of Energon, not noticing that someone was walking up behind her until that person snaked his arms underneath her arm joints and wrapped around her hips, touching her thighs with tender and love. Juliet felt that someone's cheek brush against her own and nudge her with affection. Sighing in content, Juliet turned her head towards that someone and her lips brushed against the black ones of her lover.

Jetfire let off a little groan as Juliet kissed him lovingly and felt an arm wrap around his neck, bringing him closer towards her as she pulled him deeper into the kiss. He wished that this would last forever, but sometimes, the moments had to be ruined by something. He quickly stroked her cheek, letting her know that they must stop, and she reluctantly let him go.

"Did youse two just wake up?" someone asked, causing Juliet and Jetfire to look over their shoulders and see Hot Shot and Blurr standing there in the middle of the door way. Jetfire straightened his back and nodded towards them as Juliet finished off her Energon and threw the cube into a recycling bin.

Hot Shot smirked and motioned his head towards the Control Room. "Optimus wants to see you about something, Jets. Not sure what it is, but it did sound a little important," he said.

Jetfire nodded his thanks before giving Juliet a goodbye kiss and left the room, leaving her alone with the two speedy mechs. Juliet scratched the back of her neck before fiddling around with the feathers on her wings. Her attention was caught when Hot Shot said, "You want to go have a practise hit?"

"I suppose one little training session wouldn't hurt. Besides, I fell a little rusty after beating Scavenger once," Juliet said as she smiled at her friend, whom she'd considered as a brother, along with Sideswipe and Blurr.

Hot Shot nodded before he and Blurr walked off to the Training Room with Juliet following right behind them. All three Autobots felt a wave of excitement as they headed towards the room. Blurr and Hot Shot had never gone up against the femme, and neither had she gone up against them. Each of them were curious to know what one of them would throw at the other, but they all knew that only one of them would come out on top as the victor.

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"That's a bullseye!" Juliet laughed as she released a round from an Energon-Crossbow that she hadn't used since her ressurection. She'd not been very accurate with the weapon at first, but after firing off a few bad rounds, she'd gotten used to the weapon's capabilities and had just released her third best shot, destroying the bullseye target with ease.

As for Hot Shot and Blurr, the two young mechs had started out pretty good, Hot Shot was one point ahead, while Blurr was ahead by two, and they had barely even broken an oil (sweat). But it seemed like Juliet was catching up with them now, and things were about to get out of hand between all three of them.

Blurr loaded up his sniper rifle and carefully aimed at the swinging bullseye target. He watched it carefully before releasing a round from the rifle, but he missed it just by an inch, and he huffed in annoyance and stood back to let Hot Shot have his turn. If he got this one, then they'd be even.

Hot Shot felt a pang of worry as he reloaded his weapon. Normally he was not worried during training sessions, but obviously, he was now. He shook his head and prepared to fire his double-barrelled laser gun when the Minicon alarm blared into life, causing him to nearly drop his gun.

Juliet growled angrily. She'd lost the session. Oh well, at least she was doing much better than she was before. Turning to Blurr, she said, "Hey, Blurr. Is it alright if I keep this?"

Hot Shot unloaded his gun and placed it back into his subspace pocket. He wasn't happy that he'd lost, but at least he'd come second behind Blurr. Looks like Blurr will always be the best at firing a weapon or two.

"Come on, guys, let's go see where the Minicon is. I hope it's not in a place there are a lot of trees. They always keep getting in my way," Hot Shot complained as he ran out the room.

Both Juliet and Blurr shook their heads as Juliet placed her Energon-Crossbow back into her back and they raced off to go join the others in the Control Room.

* * *

"You guys sure took your sweet time," Smokescreen teased as he watched the trio come running into the Control Room. Juliet took her place beside Jetfire, who smiled from behind his golden mask and then looked up at the monitor.

"You think it's another one of Megatron's traps?" Optimus asked Red Alert as the CMO typed away on the keyboard.

"No it's not, sir," Red Alert answered as he looked up at his commander.

"How can you tell?" Juliet asked as she tilted her head to the side in puzzlement.

"I've just upgraded the monitor's signal detector. If there was a trap, the monitor will pick it up and let us know if it is one or not," Red Alert answered.

"Good thinking, Red Alert. That way we will not be caught off guard again like last time if Megatron intended to capture either one of us or the Skyboom Shield," said Optimus as he nodded his appreciation.

"Shall we get going then?" Jetfire asked.

Optimus laughed as Juliet sniggered. "Yes," he said, "let's go, we don't want to keep the Minicon waiting in on us."

* * *

"Now this is much better. Not much trees about," said Hot Shot as he took a deep breath to smell the fresh air.

The whole place was littered with golden grass that smelt fresh and fine. There were some trees, but they were there to offer shelter from the warm sun that bore down upon the local animals that ran about in huge herds, ranging from wildebeests, to zebras, elephants, buffalos, and giraffes.

"I'm guessing we're in Africa. I've never seen so many herds of animals," Juliet said as she admired the fascinating animals.

"They must be preparing to migrate if they're gathering in such huge numbers," Red Alert explained as he placed a hand upon his chin and thought for a moment.

"But it's magnificent nonetheless," Optimus said, stepping forward as he glanced at every creature that he could see. Earth sure was amazing to give birth to such beautiful creatures despite how young it was. At only 4.6 billion years old, it was much younger than Cybertron itself. As young as it maybe, he knew that such a fascinating planet did not deserve to be involved in their war. But it had already been through a few, including the World Wars that threatened to consume all life long ago.

"Optimus, can Jetfire and I scout ahead?" Juliet asked as she looked towards her adoptive father. She looked a little eager to explore this place, and Optimus guessed that she used the word 'scout' as her way of taking a look.

Optimus laughed. "Alright, but if you see anything, let us know immediately."

"We promise," said Juliet as she almost bounced around in excitement, but calmed herself down and transformed to her tigress form. Without waiting for Jetfire, she raced off towards the animals to get a closer look at them, but keeping her distance so as not to frighten them.

Jetfire shook his head and transformed to his shuttle mode and taking off into the sky to keep an optic on her.

"Optimus, are you sure it was wise of you to send them off like that?" Scavenger asked, giving a look of concern towards his old student and friend.

"Juliet deserves to spend some quality time with Jetfire, and plus, she has not seen this place before, and I think that letting her go off will take her mind off of the incident that happened on the moon. She hasn't been herself lately, and I believe that being with Jetfire will help her recuperate," Optimus answered.

"Well then, we should start looking for the Minicon," said Sideswipe.

"Then it's agreed. Let's go men!" Optimus called as he and the other Autobots spread out to go find the Minicon.

* * *

Juliet was amazed at how the elephants cared for each other. She smiled to herself when she saw the lead female, the matriarch, lead her herd full of her daughters, sisters, aunties and some young ones towards a waterhole. Fascination crawled at her circuits as the matriarch kept a wary eye out for anything that might threaten her herd as the others drank their fill.

But somehow, Juliet felt like she was a predator stalking the elephants. She shook her head as her gaze then switched onto a pride of lions that seemed to be watching the elephant herd with lazy eyes. Even if they were hungry, the lions would make no attempt to attack an elephant herd that was fresh and highly protective of their young ones.

Looking up when she heard the familiar sound of a shuttle, Juliet spotted Jetfire circling above her. She giggled as Jetfire gave an impatient dip with his wings. She could tell he was eager for her to join him up in the sky and have a winged overload. She remembered that electric shock that she received from Jetfire when their wings brushed against each other. She'd wondered what it was, but now that she'd spoken to Red Alert about it, he'd explained to her that Jetfire had accidentally overloaded when their wings had met because of their extremely high sensitivity. He'd even told her that it was the Transformers way of having an orgasm. The explanation had surprised her completely, but she asked how the electric shock was done and Red Alert kindly explained it.

Now that Juliet had gotten the whole point and knew exactly how it was done, she decided to put her knowledge to the ultimate test. Spreading her wings that had remained attached to her in tigress form she switched to her eagle form and took off into the sky, joining the Vice Commander and they circled each other, doing some kind of dance that seemed to resemble those of eagles during courtship.

* * *

"What on Cybertron are those two up to?" Hot Shot asked as he looked up at the sky and saw Juliet join Jetfire and circle each other before drawing up close and touching each other's wings, dipping, circling, and flying upwards with their bellies almost touching, twirling away and doing a loop.

"Leave them be, Hot Shot," Optimus said with a chuckle, but Hot Shot protested that they should be keeping an eye out for the Decepticons. Optimus ignored him. Juliet and Jetfire deserved to have some fun, and he had no reason to stop them. Even if the Decepticons came, he would not blame them.

Scavenger cast Hot Shot a warning glare to be quiet and the young mech obeyed without a second's hesitation. Once Optimus made his mind, there was no hope of changing it at all.

* * *

High above, Jetfire and Juliet finished their little dance and flew towards each other, flying side by side. Then, they transformed to robot mode and looked lovingly into each other's optics as their hands locked together, pulling each other close into an embracing hug. Jetfire then halted in mid-air and started slowly moving in a circle with Juliet following in suit. They were so focused on their unusual dance that they failed to notice Wheeljack looking up at them.

_So, they've finally gotten together now, have they? _Wheeljack thought to himself as he drove across the African grassland. After that stunt he'd pulled to get the femme back to the Autobots, Megatron had blamed Starscream for letting her escape instead him and had become even more determined to have her. Wheeljack had no idea what drove him to protect this femme, but whatever it was, he knew that Megatron did not deserve to have her, especially when he did not give her the respect that all mechs did with their beloveds.

Sighing, Wheeljack did the only thing that might get their attention. He transformed to robot mode, dove amongst a small group of trees and took careful aim at them, but he was not aiming to hurt, just a little bit of a distance from them. He then pulled the trigger and the purple blast shot towards Jetfire and Juliet.

Jetfire's sensors went off the scale when he detected a heat source coming towards them. Looking down, he spotted the blast and pulled Juliet out of the way, but the blast was too far to even do any damage. Confusion swept through Jetfire and he looked around.

"Where did that come from?" Juliet asked as she felt the panic leave her systems.

"Not sure," Jetfire answered as he looked around until his optic sensors detected several familiar signatures. "Oh, Primus, we're in trouble now," he mumbled.

"What do you mean?" Juliet asked, looking up at Jetfire in confusion.

"Decepticons down below, and they're heading straight for the others," Jetfire replied.

"Have they seen them?"

"No, I don't think so. If they did, they would've attacked by now. I know how Megatron works. That guy always rushes head first to take on Optimus, but no one else. Not unless someone steps up to challenge him."

"Then we've got to warn the others about them coming!"

"We will, but we need to wait for a bit. Megatron could very well still be after you."

"Alright," Juliet whispered as she lowered her head, feeling a pang of guilt washing through her. She just wished she wasn't such a burden to her friends and loved ones. She didn't deserve to be shielded all the time, she should be able to fight her own battles, not hide behind everyone like some defenceless rat.

Jetfire noticed Juliet lower her head and he gently cupped her chin in his right hand. "Hey," he said. "Stop worrying. We'll pull through this, you'll see." He then split his mask in half, revealing his lips, and pulled her into a quick, passionate kiss, sending warm electric sparks into her systems that offered warmth and encouragement, as well as his love.

When they broke away, Juliet lifted an optic ridge. "You can split your mask?" she asked. "Sneak."

"I only split it when my hands are full," Jetfire said teasingly as he laughed. "So I don't have to worry about casting it away."

Juliet shook her head and the two of them looked down, waiting to see what Megatron would do.

* * *

"Agh, curses!" Megatron snarled as he glanced around. "Where is that Primus forsaken Wheeljack?" He and the other Decepticons had wondered around this slaggin' grassland for some time, but obviously, Wheeljack had just disappeared without a trace. As annoying as it seemed to the Decepticon Tyrant, he didn't have the time to look for his 'loyal' soldier. They had a Minicon to find.

"He probably took off on his own like Starscream did before," Cyclonus giggled.

Starscream only ignored him for the benefit of himself. He was in no mood to be hearing taunts from his comrades, especially when he was still pissed off after when Megatron blamed him for shooting at him when all he ever did was stand at the far end of the line shooting at the Autobots.

"Decepticons, spread out and find that Minicon! It's bound to be around here somewhere!" Megatron ordered.

"Megatron!"

Megatron stopped and looked up, spotting Thrust hovering above him. "What is it, Thrust? Can't you see that we're busy?" the Decepticon Tyrant growled in annoyance.

"Well sorry to bother you, sir, but I've just spotted the Autobots not too far ahead. But get this, the femme and that Vice Commander, Jetfire, are not with them," Thrust explained.

Megatron pondered on this for a quick moment. It was possible Jetfire and that femme had gone off to scout ahead, or maybe they just couldn't be here for this mission. It was either one of those reasons or both. Whatever it was, those two could be quite the annoyance. "Cyclonus, Starscream, Thrust, spread out and search out for those fliers, if you find them, let me know at once, but do not attack them, I wish to take them out myself when the time comes."

Starscream rolled his optics and he shifted to his jet mode before taking off. He did not need to wait for the others, they were meant to split up and search, not come together like a happy bunch. Cyclonus and Thrust also transformed and spread out, looking for their objectives.

_Now, _thought Megatron, _it's only a matter of time before that femme becomes my possession again._

* * *

"Looks like the fliers are spreading out," Jetfire said to Juliet.

"You think they could be looking for us?" Juliet asked as she looked at her lover.

"It's a possibility, but we should warn Optimus that they've been spotted," Jetfire answered as he squinted his golden optics a little. He didn't like this one bit, but he knew that he and Juliet had to warn Optimus before it was too late.

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Spiritimus Prime: Cliffhanger again! LOL Hope you enjoyed this! Updating Temptation now, so stay tunned! Later!


	14. Raging Jet Stream

**Spiritimus Prime: So here's where we pick up after where we left off with the last chapter. So I hope you enjoy this while I get the next chapter for You're Not Alone. Megatron gets pwned big time in this one! LOL! Erm... here's a little something so that you don't get confused when Jetfire and Optimus Prime are communicating through their link as Jet Optimus and their private thoughts.**

**_Blah blah blah_ - When either Optimus Prime or Jetfire are talking to each other openly in Jet Optimus.**

_Blah blah blah_** - When they're thinking privately or when anyone else thinks inside their own heads.**

**Spiritimus Prime: So I hope you get the message, and enjoy this chapter!**

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Chapter 14:

**Raging Jet Stream**

Juliet was getting impatient now. If she and Jetfire didn't do something soon, then what good would the other Autobots be if Megatron attacked again with only her and Jetfire alone to fight them off? She snuck a glance at her lover and she could see that he looked extremely determined to leap in and help, but something was stopping him from even doing a thing. What was his problem?

"Something wrong, Jetfire?" she asked as her wings gave a huge flap to keep herself airborne. The silence hung in the air like it usually did when someone was busy pondering until someone interrupted their thoughts. When Jetfire did not answer, Juliet moved forward and gently tapped him on the shoulder, snapping him out of his trance.

"Huh? Did you say something, Julie?" Jetfire asked as he shook his head and looked towards his beloved. Juliet frowned and repeated the question. Jetfire smiled warmly before he sighed. "I've noticed that a Decepticon is missing. I can't tell who it is, but I get the feeling that it's Wheeljack."

"You mean the mech that betrayed Hot Shot?" Juliet asked.

Jetfire looked at her in surprise. "How did you know that? Hot Shot never told you. Did he talk to you for some reason?"

"He actually came to see me when I was in the cells of the Decepticons' base. I don't know why he visited me, but he said it had something to do with me being different compared to other Transformers. You think he could be onto me of once being a human?"

"It's a possibility, but I'm not sure."

"We should go and the help the others now. I'm getting tired of sitting here just watching all of this without warning them of the coming of the Decepticons. I don't care whether or not Wheeljack is with the Decepticons. All that matters is warning the others!" And before Jetfire could stop her, Juliet spread her wings and shot down towards the Decepticons as they approached the Autobots.

_Not again, _Jetfire thought angrily. _Is she always that stubborn? _He shifted to his shuttle form and sped off after the ex-human. He just couldn't let Juliet get captured like the last time, and he swore upon his Spark that he would protect her from Megatron at any costs.

* * *

"Hey, why is Jetfire flying like that?" Hot Shot asked, noticing the shuttle mech was diving down towards something with Juliet already ahead of him. This puzzled the yellow bot greatly, and even his thoughts could not answer his question until his optics laid upon something he spotted in the distance. "Okay, not to alarm anyone, but is it normal to have Decepticons coming towards us?"

Optimus Prime looked up from looking between a big pile of rocks, hoping to find a Minicon wedged amongst it. Unfortunately, he'd been unsuccessful, and when Hot Shot's first question spoke up, he'd been about to tell him to knock it off with poking his nose into someone else's business until Hot Shot's second question had caught him off guard. His optics picked up familiar energy signatures and they zoomed in upon the targets. But, when he spotted Megatron, and noticed Juliet and Jetfire heading straight towards the Decepticons to take them on, he instantly felt his circuits run cold.

Leaping into action without a second's hesitation, Optimus barked, "Men, get into position and prepare to fire at will!"

The Autobots did as they were ordered and took out their weapons, waiting for Optimus to give out the signal to fire whenever he was ready. But Optimus did not give a signal as they watched Juliet and Jetfire bring out their weapons and let it loose for them. Was that the signal for them to start shooting, or did Optimus not want to fire in case they might hit the fliers?

* * *

Juliet landed in front of the Decepticons. Her optics glowed in sudden hatred as she stared at the Decepticon Tyrant with uncontrollable rage. Jetfire landed next to her, he too seemed blinded by his own emotions, but none of that concerned Megatron. His top priority, at the moment, was to capture the femme and make her his. He'd been so close to getting her, but those noble Autobots had to interrupt him.

But, now that the opportunity had risen again, Megatron decided to not hesitate and waste his time on the pathetic shuttle mech that was supposed to be the Second in Command of the Autobots. Calling upon Leader-1 and combing with his cannon, Megatron unleashed a powerful blast upon Jetfire, but he and the femme leapt aside.

Juliet's hands clenched into fists as she got into a crouching position after back-flipping over the blast that Megatron had hoped to hit Jetfire with. Her wings tucked themselves tightly against her sides as she emitted a growl. How dare that bastard try to harm Jetfire! Angrily, she stood up and charged towards Megatron at blinding speed.

But the Decepticon General expected this and he lazily blocked her punch, holding it tightly. From underneath his left wrist, a small blade popped out and slashed across the femme's right shoulder, causing her to hiss in pain. Megatron then twisted her wrist that made a loud _snap_. The femme howled in pain and she stepped back, grabbing it with her other hand to stop it from hurting, but the damage had been done. The metal structure that helped support the Transformer body was poking out from her wrist that was similar to the bone break known as a complete fracture.

Jetfire looked up in horror when he heard Juliet's cries of pain. He even heard Megatron's laughter that would've driven him nuts and rage pulsed through his systems with alarming rate. No one harmed Juliet and got away with it. With hands clenching into fists, Jetfire whirled upon Megatron and lashed out with the fastest punch that'd ever used in his entire life.

The punch caught Megatron completely off guard as it landed square in his right optic. The glass of the optic snapped with ease from the force of the punch, and Jetfire took that opportunity to through another one while Megatron was struggling to recover. The blow landed on the left optic and Megatron covered his optics in pain with his left hand.

Sounds of pounding feet echoed across the African plains and the Decepticons turned to see the Autobots approaching with their weapons firing like crazy. The other Decepticons had, somehow, not bothered to interfere with Megatron's battle between himself and the two fliers.

Megatron shook his head as his vision cleared up and he let off a roar of rage that resembled that of a bull as Optimus Prime approached his arch nemesis. There was no way he was going to let Megatron escape for harming Juliet, and he swore he was going to make him suffer horribly. But as he was about to take a step forward, Jetfire's golden optics glowed with anger and hatred before he raised an arm in front of his commander.

Red Alert had arrived at Juliet's side and was looking at her wrist. The ex-human was not paying attention to the CMO, more like she was watching the whole scene with the three high-ranking officers eying each other dangerously. Optimus was looking at Jetfire in confusion, while the SIC of the Autobots was glaring at Megatron, and the Decepticon Tyrant was glaring daggers of ice at the both of them.

"We'll fight this bastard," Jetfire said without warning. His swearing caught Optimus completely off guard. Never had he heard Jetfire say something like this before… not unless he was extremely pissed off, and it was very rare. But when he was seriously angry, he always made it very clear to everyone around him, especially with Decepticons, who knew so little of his enraged times.

Optimus nodded, understanding Jetfire's need to fight. "You want to take over?" he asked.

Jetfire just nodded, not saying a word.

Both Autobots leapt into the air and combined together to form Jet Optimus, it was quicker than before this time. And, when they combined, Optimus was always in control of Jet Optimus, but not this time. Jetfire's emotions were so high that Optimus was very surprised, and he realised that revenge was all that was on Jetfire's mind. He also sensed something else. Not only was it rage and fury that Jetfire was firing, but also protectiveness and love towards Juliet. He remembered feeling those emotions before Juliet's accident with Cyclonus, and he completely understood why. She meant the whole world to him, and he was going to make Megatron pay dearly for harming her.

_**Just don't go too far, Jetfire. Revenge will not always satisfy you, **_Optimus whispered through their connection as Jet Optimus.

_**I don't even care! Megatron's going to pay and I'm going to make sure that he suffers terribly! **_Jetfire snarled as he pushed Optimus' thoughts and control towards the back of Jet Optimus' mind as the shuttle mech took over the body without a hesitation.

Optimus instantly knew that when Jetfire was enraged, there was no way for him to stop the shuttle mech except when his opponents were offline, were in stasis lock, or until their Sparks were extinguished. _I just hope that he doesn't kill Megatron. Everyone does deserve a second chance in life, _he thought privately.

Now that Jetfire was in full control of Jet Optimus, the super robot then lifted a yellow finger and pointed it right at Megatron. "Combine with Tidalwave so that I can finish this off, Megajerk," he growled, his voice sounding more like Jetfire's than Optimus'. It seemed like Jetfire really was in control, and he didn't want any interference.

Megatron snarled in annoyance and he combined with Tidalwave without waiting for further ordeal. He did not want some lowlife Autobot telling him what to do. Once combined, he landed with a heavy _thud_ and glared at Jet Optimus with his blood red optics. "Come Autobot," he said mockingly, "let's finish this little skirmish." And, without waiting, Megatron ignited his thrusters and shot off into the air with Jet Optimus just standing there, watching him take flight.

"With pleasure, Megadumbass," Jet Optimus growled as his hands clenched into fists and he released his thrusters into ignition. He knew that he wouldn't stand much of a chance up against Megatron, but he knew that only his cunning and speed could save him despite having superb strength that was unmatched by anyone, except for Megatron when he was combined with Tidalwave. This was going to be a long battle. He could tell.

* * *

The moment the two super robots flew up into the sky, all the Autobots and Decepticons turned their attention to each other, but none of them lifted a weapon to fire upon the other. It was strange really, but all of them were more focused on this aerial battle that they will have a little trouble seeing.

Hot Shot eyed the Decepticons suspiciously until his optics widened in surprise and he looked around. "Where's Wheeljack?" he asked Starscream, turning back to the seeker, who lifted an optic ridge and shrugged. Wheeljack was none of his concern. Hot Shot rolled his optics, he'd obviously expected that the Decepticons wouldn't care. Growling, he turned his attention to Juliet.

She was still being tendered to by Red Alert, but the other Autobots were all standing in a row to ensure that no Decepticon harmed neither one of them while they were defenceless. Red Alert looked at Juliet, saying, "I'm going to count to three, and when I do, I expect you to not tense up, otherwise the pain will hurt like hell. So, unless you want a crooked wrist, I suggest you sit still."

Juliet nodded and she looked away, trying to relax, but the tension in her body made Red Alert growl in annoyance. "Didn't I tell you to not tense up?"

Juliet sighed and closed her optics, focusing her thoughts on Jetfire kissing her warmly when they returned to the Autobots' base. She felt her muscle cables relax and Red Alert nodded with satisfaction. He straightened out Juliet's wrist and gave her a warning look to keep still, as well as a sympathetic look that it may hurt a lot more than he'd predicted.

Juliet nodded once, signalling the CMO that she was ready. She wasn't sure what was worse, the pain, or hearing her metal structure snap into place with a horrifying snap. It was either one, or both. But which ever it was, she heard someone say 'ew!' and then a growl from Smokescreen, or was it Hot Shot?

* * *

High above the Autobots and Decepticons, Jet Optimus and Burning Megatron clashed violently as their fists met together a few times, but never connecting with anything else as Megatron blocked every single time with the shields on his arms. Jet Optimus released another punch, but Megatron made a comeback with his own.

"Oh please, Prime, you think you can stop me with just throwing punches?" Megatron asked. Jet Optimus only ignored his taunts as his rage began to increase even more, but he kept it firmly under control. He didn't plan to release it until he felt he was ready.

Megatron pushed Jet Optimus back and took out the Star Saber, he held it above his head and swung down towards Jet Optimus' head, but the super robot grabbed the Saber's blade with both of his hands, stopping it just an inch away from his head. The more Megatron pushed down on the handle, the harder it became for Jet Optimus to keep it from falling. He needed the Skyboom Shield, and fast, if he was to counterattack the power of the Star Saber.

"Smokescreen, pass me the Skyboom Shield!" Jet Optimus shouted as he looked down at the Autobots below. He wasn't sure if Smokescreen had heard him, but if he hadn't, then he was finished because the Saber's blade was getting closer and closer to cutting his head clean off. _Come on, Smokescreen. Pass me the Skyboom Shield!_

"Well, Prime, it seems like your luck has just about run out," Megatron said with a laugh. He was enjoying this battle so much that it was becoming impossible for him to laugh his enjoyment.

* * *

Smokescreen, who'd heard Jet Optimus' cry for the Skyboom Shield, looked up and saw his commander in trouble. Grabbing the Shield and putting it on his crane arm, he aimed it directly at Jet Optimus and keeping it steady in case he might hit him accidentally if Jet Optimus wasn't fast enough to catch the shield. "I hope you've brought your suitcase, Megatron, cause your train is about to leave!" He released the catapult and the Shield launched straight into the air, heading straight for the two grappling leaders. "Optimus, heads up!"

* * *

Jet Optimus, who'd seen the Shield heading straight towards him from the corner of his red optics, knew instantly that he had to react at the right moment. He kept his gaze firm upon the Shield as it drew closer and closer towards its destination. If he didn't time his speed correctly, then he would miss the Shield, or get hit by it.

When the Shield was only halfway towards its destination, Jet Optimus strained his arms as hard as he could and started pushing the Star Saber's blade up. Megatron's optics widened in surprise as Jet Optimus lifted it above his head and lashed out with his right knee that connected with Megatron's stomach area, causing the Decepticon Tyrant to recoil from the pain and fly upwards.

Jet Optimus let go of the Star Saber and reached out for the Shield. The Shield sailed over his head and his hand latched onto the handle before he did a 360 degree turn and shot straight up towards Megatron, the Shield connecting with Megatron's body, driving Megatron to gasping for air as he became winded from the force of the impact. But when he looked into Jet Optimus' optics, he saw rage and fury that refused to die down.

Jet Optimus grabbed Megatron's neck armour and pulled him close to his yellow face plate, his voice came out in a harsh whisper that sent tremors down his back. "If you come near her again, then I swear, by Primus' Will, I will make you suffer horribly for ever laying a finger upon her body." And, without another word, he pulled back a fist and threw a punch towards Megatron's head that put a humongous dent in his cheek. He then put both of his fists together and raised it above his head before it came smashing down upon Megatron's head and the Decepticon Tyrant fell down towards the Earth with a loud smash, sending animals and birds scattering in fear.

* * *

When the loud boom caught everyone's attention, the Decepticons rushed towards their fallen leader while Jet Optimus descended towards the ground. As he landed, the Autobots could hear his laboured breathing and they could tell he was exhausted from the formidable battle between himself and Burning Megatron.

Red Alert, who'd finished patching up Juliet by putting her arm in a sling, rushed towards the massive Autobot, eager to check to see if he wasn't hurt. But there was no need to be so hasty. The only injuries Jet Optimus suffered from was a faint cut on his shoulder that he'd received from the Star Saber before Megatron had swung it down towards his head to make the killing blow. A small spark of electricity danced from the faint scratch and Jet Optimus got down on one knee as the unbelievable pain shot through his body despite its small size.

Juliet stood up and walked towards the super robot. He was much taller than any of the other Autobots, but the size did not matter to her. As soon as she approached him, she instantly knew that it was Jetfire who was in control of Jet Optimus. Taking the piped antennas on the sides of his head, Juliet pulled him into a passionate kiss.

What the Autobots failed to realise was that Megatron and the other Decepticons had seen the whole thing. _So, _thought Megatron. _She likes that pompous Autobot, Jetfire? Well, no matter, I will make sure that she still becomes mine… that is if they haven't bonded yet. _

Juliet let go of Jet Optimus' antennas and she gazed lovingly into his red optics. "I love you, Jetfire. And please, don't worry about me if I get hurt. Revenge does not matter, just as long as I'm alive. Just don't do anything stupid like that again, okay?" she asked.

Jet Optimus nodded as Jetfire finally calmed down after the kiss that Juliet had given him, despite it being Optimus' half she'd been kissing. He heard Optimus chuckle at the back of his mind and he mentally rolled his optics in annoyance. _**Now that we're done having fun, I suggest that we split apart before I decide to blackmail you, **_Jetfire growled.

_**Of course, Jetfire, **_Optimus laughed as Jet Optimus split back into the two individuals, Jetfire and Optimus Prime.

"Optimus Prime!"

The Autobots turned and saw Sideswipe approaching with a Minicon panel in his hand. "I got the Minicon!" he cried joyfully as he showed it to them and Optimus praised him before turning back to Megatron, but there was no one in sight.

"Guess he decided that he'd had enough," Jetfire said with a laugh as Juliet gently took his hand in her own and snuggled into him. Jetfire smiled warmly before he turned to Sideswipe. "Aren't you going to awaken the new Minicon?"

"What? Oh! Of course I am!" Sideswipe laughed as he activated the Minicon that brought up a grey and red Minicon that looked like it could transform into an A-10 Thunderbolt II. "I think I'll call him Saberblast," declared Sideswipe.

Optimus Prime nodded his satisfaction and he turned to Juliet, looking at her broken wrist as he frowned. "We should get back to the base and tend to your broken wrist," he said.

"You're right, it hurts like crazy! I knew you guys broke parts, but I never knew it would come down to this!" Juliet growled as she looked down at her wrist.

Everyone laughed and they headed for home.

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Spiritimus Prime: XD What did you think? Did you like the chapter? Well, if you did, please R&R! It would be a big help! Later guys, and stay tunned for the next chapter when I'm done!


	15. Kidnapped Again

**Spiritimus Prime: Yeah, where's the fun when you've twisted an ankle? Oh, it's everywhere of course! (growls) Anyway, enjoy this chapter, I'm not in the mood to explaining anything until you read. :(**

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**Chapter 15:**

**Kidnapped Again**

Juliet knew that healing took time when it came to a broken metal structure, but she never knew that it was this painful. Sure it didn't take long for the metal structure, that supported her body, to heal, but it was extremely painful and she had to stay in the Med-Bay for several days. Jetfire stayed by her side, but when he spent too long with her, Red Alert would shoo him out so that Juliet could concentrate on healing. But when the pain became too severe, Juliet would scream and lash out without realising it. Sometimes Red Alert and Optimus Prime, who would come by to check on her healing progress, would hold her limbs roughly, but gently, and try to calm her down, but if that didn't work, then Red Alert would knock her out with a syringe.

Most of the time, Juliet would wake up with Jetfire by her side, and that made the healing progress all the more quicker. But, other than that, Juliet could barely remember much due to the syringe that Red Alert gave her so that she could not feel much pain. But, when she was free to go, Red Alert gave her some special Energon pills that acted as painkillers, in case the severe pain came back without warning.

Juliet found herself sitting beside Jetfire in the Rec. Room, watching the kids, and Hot Shot, play with their video games. Jetfire was caressing her cheek with his thumb, and it seemed to send a warm flow of comfort into her systems. She felt her Sparkbeat increasing dramatically, but this was normal when it came to moments like this. She felt Jetfire's chin move on top of her head and she closed her optics, not wanting this long moment to end.

But it was over when Hot Shot set himself down beside them. "Good Primus, I'm pooped," he groaned, earning a slight giggle from Juliet. He turned to the two and smiled. "Hey, you guys want to have a go? See if you can beat Alexis's record." He handed Juliet a controller and he gave a slight wink. "She's impossible to beat."

"We'll see about that," Juliet said with a smirk as she got up, leaving Jetfire's side, and approached the kids before seating herself down on the floor, cross-legged. "You ready for round two, Alexis?" she asked, excitement pouring into her voice.

"You're on!" Alexis beamed as they restarted the game.

Both Jetfire and Hot Shot looked on with eagerness as the girls chose their fighters and prepared to battle. Juliet had a hard time with the controller, but she was a quick learner, and she soon got the hang of it.

The game lasted for two hours, with neither fighter backing down. Most of the games ended in draws that resulted in them having to pick another fighter and starting all over again. Finally, the girls were onto their final round, and nearly all of the Autobots, including Optimus and Red Alert, had gathered around to watch it.

"You're asking for it, Alexis, are you sure you don't want to back down?" Juliet asked as she looked down at the brunette with her silver optics that showed determination and unwillingness.

"Are you kidding me, Julie? I never back down from a fight, and that includes ones with boys and robots," Alexis laughed as she looked at Juliet in a challenging way.

"Alright, how about I do you a deal? If I win this final battle, you and the boys will have to do as I say for the next two weeks. If you win, I'll let you decide on what you want me to do for you. Done deal?" Juliet held out a finger so that she could shake on it because of her pawed hand being much too big.

Alexis thought about it for a moment as she placed a hand on her chin, pondering deeply about the deal. Finally, she took Juliet's finger and shook it. "Alright, you've got yourself a deal," she said, an evil smile forming on her lips.

"This should be good," Hot Shot mumbled to Optimus, who chuckled at this eager game.

"Let's begin the duel!" Juliet and Alexis called at the same time.

Juliet selected her character that looked exactly like Optimus Prime, and Alexis chose hers that looked like Megatron. Optimus wondered how the kids managed to get them in the game. He looked at Rad from the corner of his optics and lifted an optic ridge. The boy smiled and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. 'Later,' he mouthed.

Optimus nodded and he turned his attention back onto the screen as the battle began for the final round.

Juliet started off with a combo as the game Optimus placed both of his fists together and released an energy wave from his hands. The blast was too much for Alexis to get the game Megatron to dodge it, and he was hit almost instantly, resulting in a quarter of his HP to be taken off, leaving some of it yellow while the rest of it was still green.

Juliet charged the game Optimus towards his opponent, releasing a powerful punch, but Alexis managed to get Megatron to recover and dodge it, as well as counterattacking with a kick and a double punch that stunned Optimus greatly. Megatron then kicked Optimus in the mid-section and sent him flying into a pillar of rocks, causing everyone to wince.

"Big mistake, Alexis," Juliet growled mockingly as she pressed a big line of buttons that created a set of combos. "Face the wrath of Jet Optimus!" The game Optimus combined with the game Jetfire. "Let's see you do something?"

"Was that a challenge?" Alexis asked as she too pressed a few buttons that caused Megatron to combine with Tidalwave to form Burning Megatron. "What will you do now?"

"Begin an aerial battle of course," Juliet retorted as Jet Optimus shot into the air and took out Jetfire's blaster. "Eat plasma!" The blast was released and it shot straight towards Burning Megatron.

Burning Megatron lifted up an arm, blocking off the powerful blast as it bounced off harmlessly. He released his thrusters and shot up after Jet Optimus and throwing a massive punch into Jet Optimus' face. Jet Optimus lost half of his HP from just that single punch and everyone's optics widened.

"You're going down in Prime style," Alexis laughed, causing the real Optimus to lift an optic ridge. Okay, maybe she was getting in over her head. The game Megatron released his thrusters and flew straight towards Jet Optimus.

Big mistake.

Juliet smirked as Megatron closed in on Jet Optimus and she pressed a button. "You're in for it now, Alexis!" she called as she pressed another set of buttons and Sparkplug appeared and landed on Jet Optimus' shoulder. "This is going to hurt you more than it hurts me." Taking out Jetfire's blaster, Jet Optimus released a huge set of rounds of red blasts that hit Burning Megatron square in the face and every part of his body.

The attack had been so devastating that Megatron's HP went down to zero at once.

A direct knock out from Juliet.

"It looks like the deal has been thrown in your face, Alexis. It seems like I broke your record too," said Juliet as she smiled down at the human girl. Alexis had lost to a human-turned-Transformer. Alexis looked up at Juliet and she sighed.

"A deal's a deal," she said as she held out a hand, but Juliet shook her head.

"Nah, you don't deserve to be turned into a mindless slave. So consider it as a respectful admiration," she said and winked a silver optic. Juliet gently petted Alexis on the head and everyone laughed.

"I never knew Optimus could use Sparkplug when he's combined with Jetfire," said Hot Shot. "Cause seriously, I never saw it before."

"We can actually. But we use it very rarely because of its extreme power," Optimus answered, catching their attention. "I despise using Minicons in battle, but I only use it when I so desperately need it." He turned to Sparkplug, who looked up at Optimus Prime. "As much as prefer to use other weapons to bring peace, the Minicons will become my last resort weapon. They can decide when they want to be used."

Sonicburst flew in and sat on Juliet's shoulder. He nudged her cheek and she gently stroked his head. "Optimus is right," she agreed. "We are Autobots. We do not use Minicons unless it's absolutely necessary or is a last resort."

"_You're starting to sound more like an Autobot every day," _said Sonicburst, who nodded in agreement.

Jetfire checked the time and his optics widened in amazement. "Goodness me, is that the time? You kids should be heading off for home now," he said in alarm.

"Oops," Rad laughed as he rubbed the back of his neck again. "We'll see you guys tomorrow. It will be the holidays by the end of school, so we'll drop by as soon as we can." He, Carlos, and Alexis then waved goodbye and ran out the room as the Autobots waved back.

"We should all get some rest as well. I believe the Minicons could wake up during the night, so I suggest we sleep while we can," said Optimus as he nodded to them all.

Hot Shot nodded in agreement before he stretched his arms. "Goodnight everyone, and as the humans say: don't let the bed bugs bite." He then walked out the room with Blurr and Sideswipe walking behind him.

Juliet let off a yawn without realising it, and it earned a chuckle from Jetfire and Optimus. "Come on sleepy-head," said Jetfire as he picked Juliet up bride style. "It's time for us little love-birds to hit the sack."

Optimus shook his head as he watched Jetfire carry Juliet to their quarters. Nodding his head towards Red Alert as a bid goodnight, he then walked out the room without another word.

* * *

Juliet was placed on the recharge berth and Jetfire pounced on top of her like a lion going for his prey. With his arms, on both sides of her shoulders, pinned over her, he bent downwards as his mask removed itself and kissed her on the blue lips. His kiss was warm and sweet as Juliet absorbed into it. Both of her arms wrapped around his neck as she pulled him into the kiss.

Jetfire pulled her up as his hands moved down towards her buttocks as they felt every detail that he could touch. Jetfire had no wish to go too far, and he knew that Juliet was not ready for the next level of their relationship. Sure, he was ready, but he did not want to push his luck. And he knew that Megatron would try to kidnap Juliet again and try to take away her virginity. He couldn't allow that to happen, and he promised himself that he would make Juliet his bondmate when the time came.

When their lips parted, Jetfire's golden optics looked into Juliet's silver ones, and their foreheads touched one another. Neither one of them wanted this to end, nor did they not want the night to become old. As far as Juliet was concerned, she knew that Jetfire would one day want to take their relationship to the next level, but that one day was going to come soon.

"Julie, what's wrong?" Jetfire asked when Juliet lowered her gaze and removed her forehead from Jetfire's. "Are you afraid that I may pressure you into taking the relationship to the next level, or is it something else?"

"Both actually," Juliet answered.

"Would you care to tell me what the other worry is?"

Juliet nodded as she turned her gaze back to Jetfire's optics. "I'm... afraid that Megatron would try and make another attempt in hurting me. What if he does get me, Jetfire, and you won't be there to protect me? What if he kills you?"

"That won't happen to me, Julie. You know as well as I do that Megatron will never get what he wants. Even if he did take away your virginity, you will always be special to me. No matter what happens. And if he does kill me, Optimus will look after you. You do consider him as a father-figure, don't you?" Jetfire asked.

Juliet nodded once more as she felt tears prickling at her optics. "But I don't want to lose you," she whimpered. "I swear to not love anyone else except you."

Jetfire shook his head. "Julie, you and I both know that someday, something else, besides Megatron, will try to steal you away and kill me. If that mech kills me, will you swear to move on, find a mech that is just as good looking as me, as well as someone you think will treat you like an individual?"

Juliet began to cry. This was harder than she thought. If she did swear to find someone that would make her complete like Jetfire did, then she would be betraying the one mech who made her who she was. Her crying was stopped when Jetfire pulled her into hug and she cried into his shoulder.

"Don't worry about the future, Julie, okay?" Jetfire asked as he looked down at her and wiped away her tears. "Let's just enjoy this night while we still can. By the way, you didn't answer my first question. Are you worried that I may pressure you?"

Juliet shrugged her shoulders and she wrapped her wings around Jetfire's body, providing warmth and security for herself and him. She knew she wasn't ready for it. Jetfire leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. "Well, I will not pressure if you're not ready. But when you think you are, let me know."

Juliet nodded as she kissed Jetfire back. Yawning, she felt her exhausted systems beginning to shut down. Jetfire hopped off of her and lay down beside her. Nudging her neck with his nose and kissing her on the lips once more, Jetfire snuggled down and turned his optics offline, but he was only pretending to fall asleep, for he wanted to make sure that Juliet fell asleep as well.

Juliet had a hard time drifting off. She couldn't help but think about what Jetfire had said to her. Love someone else if he died in the war. It pained her greatly, and she feared that it may come sooner than she thought. But, eventually, her tired body could no longer stay away and she fell asleep with Jetfire following in suit.

* * *

When the whole base shut down for the night, no one heard the sounds of a Warp gate opening up in the middle of the corridors. As soon as Megatron appeared, the other Decepticons followed in suit. As Megatron glanced around the quiet corridors as the Autobots slept, he spoke quietly to his soldiers, so as to not awaken the Autobots and alert them of their presence. "Search the whole place, but do not lay a hand upon any of the Autobots. We are looking for the femme and that incompetence Jetfire."

The Decepticons all nodded and they got to work, searching in every room they came across. But none found the two that Megatron wanted. Starscream, eventually, came to the last of the quarters while Cyclonus, Demolisher, Thrust, Wheeljack (who'd disappeared again), Sideways, and Tidalwave searched somewhere else. Starscream silently peered into the room as the door opened and he smirked in satisfaction.

There the two love-birds were, lying side by side as they slept. Radioing Megatron, Starscream waited for the Decepticon Tyrant to come to his position. When he did, Megatron did not praise him. Instead, he walked into the room and handed the seeker a cloth that smelt like some kind of knock out drug.

"Give that to Jetfire," Megatron ordered simply as he approached the femme, who was starting to stir. Starscream obeyed and stood over the Second in Command of the Autobots. He roughly grabbed Jetfire's neck armour and placed the cloth over his mouth.

Jetfire had woken up with a start when he felt someone grab his neck armour. He thought it had been Juliet, but when the rough grab came harsher, he instantly knew that a Decepticon had grabbed him. Turning his optics online at once, he prepared to leap into action, but then an unusual smell hit his nose and mouth. He suddenly felt groggy and exhausted. But just before his golden optics flickered offline again, he saw Megatron going for Juliet with the same cloth that Starscream had applied to him.

As Megatron advanced on Juliet, who'd just woken up, he swiftly placed the drugged cloth over her face and held her slashing hands with the other hand that did not contain a cloth. She struggled with all her might, but, eventually, the drug took immediate effect and she was out like a light.

"Tidalwave, get in here!" Megatron called.

Tidalwave came in at once. He approached his leader and waited for further orders.

"Pick up that lousy Autobot and get back to base," Megatron ordered as he pointed to the knocked out Jetfire, who lay in a huddled heap beside Juliet.

Tidalwave obeyed as he picked up the drugged Jetfire with ease with a single hand. Standing up tall and placing Jetfire across his shoulders, Tidalwave then walked out the room. But as he walked out, the alarm began to blare.

Megatron was carrying Juliet like she was some delicate flower (if he cared that is) and looked towards the sound of pounding feet. Smirking when he saw Optimus Prime at the head of the group, he laughed as the Autobot Commander just stopped and stared in awe.

"You're too late, Prime. We've got what we came for, and I suggest you don't fire upon us, or you will kill them both," the Decepticon Leader said.

_Damn it, if I don't do something soon, then Megatron would do the unthinkable again with Juliet and it will be all my fault. And with Jetfire drugged as well, I cannot combine into Jet Optimus. What can I do?_ Optimus thought to himself.

Hot Shot and some of the others arrived, and they prepared to fire upon Megatron, but Optimus stopped them by raising a hand and said, "Don't or you'll hit Jetfire and the femme," not willing to risk calling Juliet by her human name for he feared that Megatron would do more than just hurt her.

"That's right, Prime. Tell your men to back down like the dog you are," Megatron laughed as Tidalwave vanished out of sight. "And if you're lucky, I may let you see your precious femme again when we meet again on the battlefield." He then vanished as well, along with the other Decepticons.

Optimus growled at the back of his throat. Now Juliet had been captured once again, along with Jetfire as well. Without his Second in Command, as well as being a strategist, there was nothing he could do to rescue them.

In his anger, Optimus slammed a fist into the closest thing that was right next to him. The wall. He would make Megatron pay big time if he saw him again, and he swore that there was going to be more than just hell to pay.

* * *

**Spiritimus Prime: KIDNAPPED AGAIN?! THIS IS GETTING OLD! LOL A cliffhanger sure is fun eh? Anyway, stay tunned for the next chapter! I have to go and nurse my ankle... it's hurting like crazy.**


	16. Do You Trust Me?

**Spiritimus Prime: Well, only one more chapter to go and then it's on to the sequel! So I hope you enjoy this 'little' skirmish between Megatron and Jetfire. I had it planned carefully, but quickly. No, I did not kill Megatron, so be glad that I didn't. XD**

* * *

**Chapter 16:**

**Do You Trust Me?**

When Jetfire opened his optics, he felt extremely groggy and exhausted from his knock out. He rubbed his face as his vision became clearer by each minute. Slowly, he sat up, placing his back against the wall, trying to recollect his previous thoughts before Starscream had drugged him. When his vision got clearer than before, his optics widened when he realised that he was locked in a cell. Standing up as quickly as he could, and staggering into a wall with a loud bang, he fell to the floor as he tried to regain himself. But his legs were still asleep, so all he could do was crawl like a helpless human baby.

When he approached the bars of the cell, Jetfire used them to help him stand up. He still felt unsteady on them, but at least he managed to make it. Holding his head painfully, he looked around, but saw no sign of Juliet. He felt a sudden wave of fury as his hands gripped the bars tightly. What had the Decepticons done with Juliet? He tested the bars to see if they would break under the pressure that he applied to it. Still nothing. Growling, he tried again, but with more force. Nothing happened, and he felt his frustration grow even worse.

Just where was his Juliet? Where was Megatron containing her?

* * *

Juliet's optics switched online. But, instead of warm, comforting light greeting her, a freezing, dark room swept over her like ice digging into her metallic skin. Shivering a little as the drug began to wear off, Juliet glanced around the room, and she noticed that she was lying on her back on some kind of recharge berth. Sitting up, her back aching from the uncomfortable berth, she glanced around.

There was nothing, except for a computer on the far right. Swinging her legs and placing her pawed feet on the floor, Juliet placed a hand upon her forehead as she struggled to recover from the drug. Standing up on wobbly legs, she staggered towards the door of the decomposing room.

As she leaned against the door, she tried to open it, but it refused to budge. Lifting an optic ridge, she tried again, but the force she applied, did not move it at all. Growling, she tried once more, and then banged a fist on the door. What was this place? She couldn't remember, but she knew that she was in the Decepticons' base. How else would this place be old and never be cleaned up like the Autobot base?

Juliet banged another fist on the door and kicked it with all her worth, but nothing happened. In her frustration, she transformed to her tigress form and ran around it like a wild animal wanting to escape its small prison. As she continued her tantrum, snarling, screeching, clawing, and flapping about the room, she failed to notice the door was slowly opening until the light caught her attention.

Getting into a corner of the room and crouching with her belly flat on the ground, she twitched her tail as it swished across the floor like a trapped snake. A snarl escaped her throat as her claws sprung out from her paws, preparing herself to leap on her foe so that she could escape.

But the door closed so quickly that Juliet didn't get the chance to even blink her silver optics. Pulling her metallic lips back, she left off a threatening roar at the stranger that dared to approach her, but it did not cause him to cringe as her whiskers twitched in frustration. Snarling again, she charged like a bullet, her paws extended to take down her foe, but she never landed upon anything except the floor.

Using her superb eyesight that allowed her to see in dark, thanks to being a feline, she whirled upon her foe and tried again, but he was gone once again. Opening her mouth to give a small mew in nervousness, she looked around, trying to contain her frustration. But the more she leapt towards her enemy, the tireder she became, as her oxygen tanks begged her to stop and catch her breath. She had not drunken any Energon during the pass seven hours, and she was utterly exhausted.

"Now, now, femme, we cannot have that behaviour, now, can we?" a familiar voice purred from Juliet's right. She turned her head towards the voice and roared again. But the figure was upon her in a matter of seconds. She felt clawed arms wrap around her neck as a huge amount of weight was applied to her back.

Feeling like a horse, Juliet reared up on her back legs and flailed her forelegs wildly as she clawed at mid-air helplessly. She felt her oxygen supply becoming cut off as she had trouble breathing. The higher she reared, the more difficult it became for her to balance herself.

The figure leaned forward towards her ear and whispered in a merciless tone that sent chills down her feathered and furred back. "You are mine now, femme, because you have not been bonded to that foolish shuttle mech Prime calls Jetfire. I've been waiting for this ever since I first lay my optics upon you."

Realising that she could not stand on her back legs anymore, Juliet fell backwards and landed on her back before rolling on her right side. Breathing deeply to regain herself, she looked up towards the blood red optics, and she instantly knew that there was no escape unless she submitted to the bonding process or unless someone took pity upon her and rescued her forsaken Spark.

Megatron stood up to his full height as he looked down upon the femme like the dog she was. He smirked as he saw her try to get up, but her legs gave way beneath her and she collapsed once again. Bending down beside the femme's head, he grabbed the scruff of her neck and lifted her off the ground. "Now, my pet, transform back into robot mode so that we can begin."

Juliet snarled as she bared her teeth. "You may take my body, Megatron, but you will never take my Spark! It belongs to Jetfire and Jetfire alone! I will never submit to you, you bastard!"

Megatron growled as his grip tightened and he threw her into a wall that cracked like glass, leaving a crater in it as she collapsed on her left side. Every part of Juliet's body ached like hell, but she refused to submit to Megatron's bonding process. There was no way, in the Universe, was she to ever bond with him! Ever!

* * *

Optimus Prime paced back and forth as Red Alert and the other Autobots tried to plan a strategy, but so far, none of them could come up with a plan to get Juliet and Jetfire back. And, without a strategy, there could be no rescue, and they were running out of time. If Optimus knew Megatron well enough, the Decepticon Commander would try and get what he wanted right away. And that was to make Juliet his as soon as possible to ensure that Jetfire would not do the same thing.

Optimus cursed himself angrily. He should've had Red Alert increase the security of the base so that they could protect Juliet more easily. But he had to let his guard down and forget about it! Clenching his hands into fists, he turned and punched a wall. The sound came so loudly that the other Autobots looked towards him in surprise. They had never seen their commander this distressed before.

Optimus looked up from his frustration and raised his hands, indicating that he was fine, and that he only needed to release his steam. Sighing, he approached the table where the other Autobots had gathered around for the strategy meeting, and placed both hands on it as he tried to figure a way how to do this without alerting the Decepticons of their presence.

But, since the Autobots had already stormed the base to get Juliet back, it was possible that the Decepticons may have increased their security to alert them of their presence. There had to be a way to get into the base!

* * *

Jetfire sat in the right corner of his cell, his head buried in his thighs as he tried to not give up hope. But, he had heard Juliet's tigress roars and eagle screeches, and he knew that she was trapped somewhere in Megatron's quarters. Why else wouldn't she be here in the cells with him? It just had to be it! If Jetfire's guess was correct, then Megatron was planning to make Juliet his bondmate by force.

Feeling a wave of panic sweeping over him, Jetfire stood up and tried to break the bars again. But he was far too weak to even make the slightest attempt, and he realised that he hadn't had any Energon for eight hours. Yes, it had been an hour since he'd woken up in this cell, and he could feel his hunger increasing.

Jetfire was about to give up when he heard the sounds of a door closing. Tilting his head to the side in confusion, he tried to listen to the approaching footsteps of the stranger. But none came. Sighing in defeat, Jetfire turned his back on the bars and prepared to give up when he heard someone uncloaking.

Turning around, Jetfire's optics widened in shock and surprise when he saw the blue ones of a familiar figure.

* * *

Juliet watched in horror as Megatron forced her to transform to robot mode. He pulled out some kind of device and placed it against her head. She pressed her back firmly against the wall and moved her head away from the device. Her body felt like it was on fire, even though she was not in pain. Opening her right optic, she could see the device just an inch away from her chest plate, and panic began to overtake her as her Sparkbeat increased a hundred miles an hour.

"Do you know what this device is?" Megatron asked as he smirked in delight and licked his lips.

Juliet shook her head. She had no clue what it was, but something told her that it would force someone to open their chest plate and reveal their Spark so that they could bond in a forceful manner. In human terms, it meant that it would sexually arouse her and make her become Megatron's wife.

"This device is called XD406, meaning that it can torture you until you submit to me, or, it can force you to bond with me, whether you like it or not," Megatron explained as his smirk grew more devilish, revealing his fangs.

Juliet looked away again and she felt tears prickling at her optics as her body trembled in fear. There was no way out, and she knew that. She didn't care if Megatron saw her cry like this. She just wanted Jetfire with her to tell her that everything was going to be okay, and that nothing was going to harm her. Mentally, she prayed that this was all a dream, and that she would wake up back in hers and Jetfire's room with the Vice Commander by her side, hugging her warmly, as well as kissing her, telling her that it was just a nightmare and that she was okay.

Megatron smirked as he prepared to press the button and point the device upon the helpless femme. He couldn't wait to see her squirm and beg, but it was even more amusing when he saw those tears trickling down her face like embers. Oh he was so going to enjoy this.

* * *

The mech stood in front of the bars, staring at Jetfire with blue optics that reminded him of Hot Shot. He already knew who it was, he just wasn't expecting Wheeljack to be standing right there in front of him. Lifting an optic ridge as he approached the bars to get a good look at Wheeljack to make sure that he wasn't dreaming, he squinted them and said, "Okay, either I'm dreaming, or Wheeljack is standing right there in front of me."

"It's no dream, Jetfire," Wheeljack answered simply. "But I have no time to talk." He approached the bars of the cell and tested them with his strength. The bars didn't budge, but they did make a grinding sound. Wheeljack turned to Jetfire. "Look, I know you don't trust me because I betrayed my people by joining the Decepticons, but I have to tell you that your friend is being held captive by Megatron in his quarters. He's planning to use a device that will force her into bonding with him. If you don't get out now, you'll be too late," he explained.

Jetfire shook his head. "You expect me to trust you after what you did to Hot Shot?" he asked as he growled.

Wheeljack frowned. "I'm telling you the truth!" he snarled.

"Oh yeah? Prove it Deceptiscum!" Jetfire spat.

"There's not enough time!" Wheeljack cried as he took out some keys that he'd stolen from Starscream. "You can tell your girlfriend that Wheeljack will be coming to rejoin your team. I'm sure it will please her that a friend, who sent the coordinates to your base, will be coming home… back where he truly belongs." He then placed a key in the keyhole and unlocked the door. Once he opened it, he smile faintly at Jetfire and said, "And could you tell Hot Shot that I'm sorry." He then took off, but then stopped and looked back at Jetfire before throwing him his blaster. "Here, you may need this in case you run into any Decepticon that may have woken up after I knocked them out. Go down the corridors on your right, keep going until you reach the far end. Your girlfriend and Megatron will be in there. Hurry, for her sake!" And, without another word, he raced out the holding cells.

Jetfire stood there in confusion. Could Wheeljack be telling the truth of Juliet about to be harmed by Megatron? _I should trust him for now, but if it was a lie, the Decepticons would've found out about now. But now's not the time to be thinking, I have to find Juliet before its too late, _he thought to himself.

Shaking his head, Jetfire ran out the holding cell area and followed Wheeljack's directions. _Please, Primus. For the sake of Juliet, I'm begging you to make sure that I get there in time, _he prayed. He just hoped that he wasn't too late.

* * *

"So, what's it going to be, femme? Do you want torture or force?" Megatron asked as the device moved even closer as his right clawed hand stroked across her chest plate that contained her pounding Spark. She turned her head towards the blinking light as her optics squinted in hatred. "I'd rather die than be yours, you piece of slag!" she snarled through her teeth, making sure that the message came out as clear as daylight.

"So be it, femme!" Megatron said as he lifted a fist, preparing to deliver a killing blow to her head. If he couldn't have her, then no one could, or ever will.

Juliet dimmed her optics, preparing to meet her end.

* * *

Jetfire finally reached his destination and listened carefully as he placed his head against the door. He heard whimpering, and someone speak like icy daggers that could pierce anyone's spirit… except Optimus' of course. Knowing that he didn't have a moment to lose, he took out his blaster and aimed it at the door before blasting it and adding a massive hole in the wall. "Well, guess I forgot how much my blaster could pack quite a punch," he said to himself before snapping out of his daze and running straight into the room as dust, that had been kicked up by the blast, blocked his vision, preventing him from seeing his target.

"Where are you, you bastard?!" Jetfire snarled as he looked around the room, placing his blaster back into his subspace pocket, preparing to fight in melee combat. He won't let Megatron get away with this!

"I don't know how you managed to get out of your cage, Jetfire, but I will make sure that you will be permanently offline for good, instead of getting drugged like the last time," Megatron's voice called from the right.

Jetfire turned swiftly and tackled his opponent, who'd been standing over Juliet's unconscious form. Megatron had hopped to use the femme as a hostage, but Jetfire had come so fast that he didn't get enough time to react as Jetfire rained blows upon him like a furious whirlwind.

Jetfire growled as he grabbed Megatron's head with both of his hands, his golden optics glowing intensively in the dim room as his rage burned like an ever going fire that refused to go out. "When I said that if you ever laid a hand upon the femme's body again, I swore I would kill you without showing mercy. Obviously you didn't heed my warning, and there's going to be Pit to pay!"

Lifting a fist, Jetfire punched Megatron square in the face, causing him to stumble as he rained more blows upon him. As he grabbed Megatron's head again and lifted his right knee to send another blow, Megatron managed to recover by wrapping his arms around Jetfire's waist and throwing him into a wall.

"If I cannot have this femme, then no one will!" Megatron bellowed as he aimed his cannon at Juliet's body. Jetfire's optics widened as he saw the cannon light up with deadly purple energy that could mean doom for the both of them. Everything seemed to go into slow motion for him as he staggered up weakly before charging towards Megatron and grabbed the cannon and tried to push it away from Juliet.

Megatron snarled as he managed to remove himself from Jetfire's grip and shoved the Second in Command of the Autobots onto the floor before aiming his cannon at his head. "Say goodnight, Jetfire," he sniggered.

"Not on my watch, Deceptijerk!" a feminie voice screamed as a tigress lunged towards the cannon, head butting it and sending it upwards as Megatron pulled the trigger, causing the blast to shoot upwards, blasting the ceiling clean off and exposing the starry space sky.

Juliet turned to Jetfire. "Come on, let's boogie!" she cried as she transformed to her Wedge-tailed Eagle form and gave a mighty flap before shooting right towards the ceiling. Jetfire laughed in delight as he ignited his thrusters and shot off after the femme of his life.

Megatron watched as they flew away back towards that organic infested planet. He let off a scream of anguish as the other Decepticons came running in to aid their leader.

* * *

Optimus Prime had about given up on thinking of a strategy to get Jetfire and Juliet out of the Decepticons' base. He couldn't think correctly, and his head hurt like hell. Tiredly, he turned to Red Alert, indicating that he was going to lie down and get some rest. Red Alert nodded and wished his commander a good rest. Optimus nodded his thanks and prepared to walk out the room when he came to an abrupt halt.

Standing just outside the doorway of the meeting room, both Jetfire and Juliet looked exhausted, a little damaged, but unharmed nonetheless. Jetfire looked around at the shocked faces of his friends and a smile crept up onto his lips beneath his golden mask.

"Don't tell me you missed us that much?" he asked, laughing.

* * *

**Spiritimus Prime: Alright! Only one more chapter to go, but I won't be able to do it until you guys decide on a Transformers name for Juliet. So take your time, the story's not going anywhere any time soon. Yes, my ankle's still aching, no thanks to my Wonder Woman act. But I'm okay, can't apply too much pressure to it, so all I can do is limp about. I'm getting the weekend off from work, so I'm a lucky girl. :P so please remember to look at the poll on my Profile Page and decide a name for Juliet's new form. Whatever name you choose, you must choose carefully. So far, three have chosen Skyris, but until I come up with the next chapter, the poll stays up. Until then, stay tunned! (waves)**


	17. My Name is

**Spiritimus Prime: The final chapter and Juliet finally gets her Transformer name. I think you all know what it is since you all voted for it. I hope you enjoy this final chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 17:**

**My Name is…**

Optimus couldn't believe what he was seeing. He thought it was an illusion at first, but the more he looked closely, the more he began to realise that Juliet and Jetfire were standing right there in front of him. Hot Shot rubbed his optics and shook his head. _I must be seeing things if I'm so tired, _he thought to himself.

"Hey, if you're seeing things, Hot Shot, bang your head on that wall next to you," Juliet said as she giggled. Jetfire sniggered as Sideswipe approached them and wrapped his arms around them, pulling them close to an embracing hug, sobbing uncontrollably. "Whoa, take it easy there, Sideswipe. It's not like we're dead or anything," the ex-human laughed.

Everyone laughed and Sideswipe let go of Jetfire and Juliet, his face turning as red as Optimus' royal red armour. It seemed strange to see a Transformer blushing for the first time, but Juliet found it amusing nonetheless. She looked towards Jetfire, and then back at Optimus. "So I take it that you were about to give up?" she asked.

"We were trying to work out a strategy to get the both of you out of there. But since we didn't have Jetfire to help us plan, we'd about given up hope," Optimus explained as he nodded his head. Juliet could see the worry and exhaustion in Optimus' golden optics, and she knew that he hadn't slept a wink since hers and Jetfire's capture.

"Well, we're back now, so it doesn't matter anymore," she said as a warm smile tugged at her lips before she looked at everyone around her. "Now that we're back, I suggest that we all get some rest. We're all exhausted, and plus, Jetfire and I need to get some Energon. We haven't had any for the past twelve hours."

Optimus chuckled. "You heard the little one. Everyone, back to your quarters and get some rest despite it being in morning," he said as he turned to the other Autobots, who nodded and moved off without complaint.

"Oh, Hot Shot. Can I talk to you?" Jetfire asked, catching the young mech's attention, who nodded as the others, except Optimus, piled out.

Optimus turned to Juliet and pulled her into a warm hug that promised her protection. "I thought we were too late to help you, but something tells me that Jetfire was the one who rescued you from Megatron," he said.

Juliet nodded as Optimus let go of her. She then told him about what happened when Megatron prepared to use the device on her, when Jetfire barged in to fight Megatron head on. She even explained Megatron's intention to kill her until Jetfire interfered that caused the cannon to slip and aim straight for his head when she had recovered enough to head butt the cannon and sent it going up that caused the explosion of the ceiling and provided her and Jetfire the need to escape.

When she'd finished, Optimus nodded his head as she stumbled in exhaustion and he caught her just in time. "Go get your Energon and go to Jetfire's quarters to get some rest. I will talk to Jetfire on how he escaped," he said. Juliet nodded and she left the room, using the wall to support herself as she walked down the corridors towards the Rec. Room.

During the conversation between Optimus and Juliet, Jetfire told Hot Shot Wheeljack's message. When he'd finished delivering the message, Hot Shot's optics widened in shock and surprise. He shook his head, trying to deny that Wheeljack was returning home, back to the Autobots. "That's impossible. He made it pretty clear that he'd joined the Decepticons to get rid of me. How can he be trusted?" he asked.

Jetfire shrugged. "I'm not sure, but he said it had something to do with Juliet," he answered.

"Does he know her human name?" Hot Shot asked, trying not to sound too worried.

"No, he just called her femme since she never told him her name," Jetfire answered.

Hot Shot breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, because if he found out that she was once a human, then all Pit will break loose if he told Megatron about it," he said as he looked away, his blue optics squinting as he tried to not sound enraged.

Jetfire nodded his understanding. He knew that Hot Shot considered Juliet a sister, along with Sideswipe, and that he was being a little overprotective of her. He understood his concern for her and that he was only doing what was best for her. "Hot Shot, I know you care about Juliet, but you cannot protect her forever, you know?" he said sternly, but not unkindly.

Hot Shot lifted an optic ridge, but shrugged. "Whatever, Jetfire," he growled as he turned and walked out the room without another word. He would have to try and control himself if Wheeljack really was coming back to the Autobots. There was something about him that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

After Hot Shot walked away, Optimus approached Jetfire. "Jetfire, you mind telling me how you managed to escape from the cell?" he asked. He knew that a Decepticon had something to do with Jetfire escaping from his prison, but he still wasn't sure which one was responsible.

Jetfire answered the question by simply saying, "Wheeljack."

Optimus' optics widened in surprise. "Are you sure it was him?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

Jetfire nodded. He then explained what he'd told Hot Shot. When he'd finished, Optimus nodded his head. "It's strange that Wheeljack wants to come back, but the main question is why he would do so?" he asked.

"He says it has something to do with Juliet," Jetfire answered.

"But what has Juliet got to do with him?"

"He won't say. Maybe he has something to do with her lost memories?"

"It's a possibility," Jetfire agreed.

"We'll discuss this another time. Right now, Juliet needs you after what she'd been through. She's not as badly broken as she was the last time before we rescued her, but I still suggest that you stay by her side until she recovers after Megatron tried to use some kind of device upon her."

Jetfire nodded before he bade Optimus goodnight (despite being in the morning) and walked out the room.

* * *

Jetfire found Juliet in their quarters sipping on some Energon. There was another cube beside her, and he knew that it was for him. Closing the door behind him, he sat down beside Juliet and wrapped an arm around her, pulling him close to her. They sat there in silence as Juliet picked up the cube beside her and handed it to Jetfire. They then took multiple sips until Jetfire turned his head towards Juliet and gently stroked her cheek as he pulled her face towards his and they touched noses.

"Juliet, I know I'm asking so much from you, but… will you bond with me? We should do it while we still can so that Megatron will not try to force it upon you. I… don't mean to pressure you or anything, but…" he was silenced when Juliet removed his face plate and kissed him right on the lips.

They closed their optics for a moment until Juliet let go of him. She lifted a pawed hand and stroked his face lovingly. "You may think you're pressuring me in to taking the next step to this relationship, but you're not, Jetfire. I accept your invitation," she said as she smiled warmly before kissing him on the lips again. She let go and lowered her head, but her gaze did not remove itself from Jetfire's golden optics that reflected like two miniature suns dancing in the sky.

Jetfire smiled and nodded his appreciation. "Do you know what you have to do?" he asked.

Juliet nodded. "I think I have to carefully open my chest plate and extract my Spark. Am I right?" she asked.

Jetfire nodded again. "Once the bonding process begins, there's no turning back," he warned, but Juliet just nodded. She'd been waiting for this moment for a long time since they'd admitted their feelings for one another, and now that the time had finally come, she was a little excited about the whole procedure, but also afraid. Jetfire gently assured her that they would be fine as long as none of them lost concentration on the other. If they did, then it was a possibility that they could die, or never be able to bond if they tried again.

Juliet remembered, from Red Alert, that, once they were bonded, it would be a dangerous life. There were a few good things after bonding, like feeling each other's thoughts and feelings, but the downside was: they would be able to feel each other's pain. And if one of them died, then the other would follow in suit so that they could be together. But… if one of them managed to survive, then that one would slowly fall into the darkness by going insane and violent.

Jetfire sighed as he slowly opened his chest plate, revealing a golden Spark that pulsed with life. Juliet gazed at it in wonder. She knew Sparks were special and extremely delicate, but she never expected them to be this beautiful. Jetfire cleared his throat, catching Juliet's attention. He sniggered as she blushed with embarrassment and pulled away. Sighing, she began to unclasp her chest plate. As she removed the clasps, she felt her Sparkbeat increasing a hundred miles an hour. Her excitement began to pulse with her Spark as she opened her chest plate to reveal her blue and silver Spark.

Juliet had never seen her Spark before, but when she saw it, she couldn't help but admire it until Jetfire snapped her out of her daze by gently placing a hand upon her shoulder. She looked up until her silver optics met with his golden ones. They stared without looking away as Jetfire placed his other hand on her other shoulder.

"It will hurt at first when it begins, but I can guarantee that you'll enjoy it after they touch," he said gently. Juliet nodded as Jetfire gently pushed her backwards until she was lying on the recharge berth. Keeping her legs straight as Jetfire lay on top of her, their chests came closer and closer until Juliet felt a familiar electric pulse that Jetfire had sent to her long ago. Her body gave a small tremble with excitement, but Jetfire reminded her to stay focused on him.

As soon as Jetfire leaned a little closer, their Sparks touched and both Juliet and Jetfire gave out a cry of pain. The Sparks pulsed dangerously as they met and spun around each other like the moon and the Earth did in space, as though they were dancing like Jetfire and Juliet had done not so long ago.

Finally, the electric pain vanished as Jetfire leaned even further towards Juliet until their chest were completely touching. Juliet wrapped her arms around Jetfire's body as they embraced each other. They continued to hold each other as the bonding process continued onwards. But, as it did, Juliet saw Jetfire's thoughts and feelings; including his past and how he lost the ones he knew and loved in the war. It saddened her deeply and she felt tears prickling at the corners of her silver optics.

Jetfire gently wiped the tears away as he kissed her on the bridge of her nose. His optics widened when he realised that he could not see Juliet's past. He thought that, during the bonding process, he could see the images of her past so that he could help her recover them and tell her what they were, but, somehow, they did not come into his head like he'd expected them to. Instead, all he got was the images of when she'd awakened in the Autobot base, accepting Optimus Prime as her adoptive father, and seeing the other Autobots as a huge family to her. But, he felt her love for him, and her ever growing determination to be his forever, and nothing else.

Slowly, everything calmed down as the Sparks returned to their normal pulse and began to change colour. No longer was Juliet's blue and silver, and no longer was Jetfire's golden. They had become blue and gold mixed together. It seemed a bit odd, but once two become one, their sparks take on two colours that belonged to their owners. Say if one had green, and another had purple, then they would be a mixed of purple and green at the same time.

As Jetfire hopped off of Juliet and lay beside her, he felt exhausted, but he was happy to finally have Juliet belonging to him. He could already hear her thoughts and feelings echoing through his CPU. It felt strange at first, but it was amazing to have another individual inside his mind. He was surprised to hear a thought tugging on Juliet's mind already.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

Juliet looked towards Jetfire and smiled softly. "I was thinking about… since I'm a Transformer like you guys… I was thinking about taking on a new name," she said as she rolled around to face her lover.

"Are you sure you want to give up the last thing that was once your humanity?" Jetfire asked, frowning a little. Did Juliet really want to give up the last thing that did not make her a Transformer? He wanted to say it in thoughts, but decided against it. No, he should ask her out loud so that he did not invade her thoughts right away, otherwise she might freak out at having someone looking through her head. He asked the question out loud, and Juliet smiled again.

"I'm sure of it. There's no point in being called Juliet anymore, now that I'm no longer a human being," she said, lowering her gaze.

Jetfire smiled and gently cupped Juliet's face in his right hand. "Its okay, Julie, I'll still call you by your human through our bond so that you don't forget it. How about that?" he asked.

Juliet nodded her thanks. "So," she said. "What kind of name should I have?"

Jetfire thought about it deeply and he snapped his fingers. "I got it!" he cried. "How about Skyris?" he asked.

Juliet thought about it for a moment until she smiled. "I love it, Jetfire. My name is no longer Juliet. It's now Skyris," she said, nodding in agreement.

Jetfire smiled and he pulled his Skyris close to his chest, offering her warmth, and sending waves of his love through their bond. As Skyris dropped off to sleep, she heard Jetfire whisper something into her audio receptors that would make her cherish them for a long time.

"I love you, Skyris."

Dimming her optics, Skyris smiled in her sleep as she dreamed of her and Jetfire soaring through the clouds at top speed. No one, except her and Jetfire were there as they danced amongst the clouds, their wings touching together as they celebrated their newfound bond that they would cherish for as long as they lived.

* * *

**Optimus Prime: Awww! It's finished now? Damn, and just when I was starting to love it! But, you did an except job, SP!**

**Spiritimus Prime: Thank you, OP, glad you liked it. (turns to the audience) So tell me, what did you guys think of the story and the name that Jetfire helped Juliet pick? Are you looking forward to the sequel? If so, then please R&R and tell me of your thoughts. If you don't remember me telling you this at the start, the whole story was inspired by this lyric from the song _Apology (Acoustic version)_ by _Alesana, _hence the title of the fanfic. Later guys, until the sequel comes up, stay tunned!**


End file.
